Looking Unto Jesus

The Alpha and the Omega

Book II

A View of the Everlasting Gospel: Or, the Soul’s Eying of Jesus,

As Carrying on the Great Work of Man’s Salvation from First to Last.

By Isaac Ambrose, Minister of the Gospel.

Isaiah 45:22: "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth."

London, printed for Richard Chiswell, Benjamin Tooke, and Thomas Sawbridge, 1680.

Table of Contents

Chap. 1.

Sect. 1. Of the Eternal Generation of our Jesus

Sect. 2. Of our Election in Christ before all Worlds

Sect. 3. Of that great Treaty, in Eternity, betwixt God and Christ, to save Souls

Sect. 4. The Project

Sect. 5. The Counsel

Sect. 6. The Foreknowledge

Sect. 7. The Purpose

Sect. 8. The Decree

Sect. 9. The Covenant

Chap. 2.

Sect. 1. Of knowing Jesus, as carrying on the Great Work of our Salvation in that Eternity

Sect. 2. Of Considering Jesus in that Respect

Sect. 3. Of Desiring after Jesus in that respect

Sect. 4. Of Hoping in Jesus in that respect

Sect. 5. Of Believing in Jesus in that respect

Sect. 6. Of Loving Jesus in that respect

Sect. 7. Of Joying in Jesus in that respect

Sect. 8. Of Calling on Jesus in that respect

Sect. 9. Of Conforming to Jesus in that respect

Revelation 1:8, 11

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending," saith the Lord, "which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." — "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last; and what thou seest, write in a book, and send it to the seven churches."

Chapter I

Section I. Of the Eternal Generation of Our Jesus

We must look unto Jesus, the beginner and finisher of our faith. We must behold Jesus with a steadfast eye from first to last. As He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last, so accordingly, we must look unto Him.

1. He is Alpha, the beginner (so it is in the original, Ἀρχηγός), the inceptor, the first wheel of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) and the end of our faith, the salvation of our souls (2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2). Now, Christ may be called a beginner in respect of the decree or execution. I shall begin with the decree, wherein He began before the beginning of time to design our happiness for the praise of the glory of His grace (Ephesians 1:6). Many depths lie in this passage. To this purpose, we told you that Jesus is God's Son and our Jesus, eternally begotten before all worlds.

In this first period, we shall look upon Him:

1. In relation to God.

2. In relation to us.

1. In His Relation to God

Who shall declare His generation? He is God's Son, having His subsistence from the Father alone, of whom, by communication of essence, He is begotten from all eternity.

To open this eternal generation of our Jesus, we shall consider:

1. The thing begotten.

2. The time.

3. The manner of begetting.

4. The mutual kindness and love between Him who begets and Him who is begotten, which brings forth a third person or subsistence, which we call the Holy Ghost.

1. For the Thing Itself

It is Jesus Christ, who must be considered two ways: as He is a Son, and as He is God. Now, as He is a Son, He is the one begotten, but not as He is God. As God, He is of Himself, neither begotten nor proceeding. The Godhead of the Father and the Godhead of the Son is but one and the same essence. Therefore, as God, the Son is of Himself, without beginning, even as the Father; but as a Son, He is not of Himself but begotten of the Father. Hence, the Son is begotten of the Father as a Son but not as God.

2. For the Time of This Generation

It has neither beginning, middle, nor end, and therefore it is eternal—before all worlds. This is one of the wonders of our Jesus: that the Father, begetting, and the Son, begotten, are co-eternal. Wisdom, in the book of Proverbs (which, by unanimous consent of divines, refers to Christ), affirms:

“When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth. While as yet He had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world; when He prepared the heavens, I was there; when He set a compass upon the face of the depth, I was there.”

And a little before:

“The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the world was.”

That is to say, from eternity; for before the world was made, there was nothing but eternity.

Some might object that the Father’s words, "Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten Thee," are understood by Paul to refer to the time of Christ’s resurrection:

"And we declare unto you glad tidings," saith Paul, "how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that He hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second Psalm, 'Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten Thee.'"

We distinguish between generation itself and the manifestation or declaration of it. Jesus, the Son of God, was begotten from all eternity. However, when He was incarnate, and especially when He was raised from the dead, He was mightily declared to be God’s Son by nature. This declaration or manifestation of His eternal generation is what the Apostle refers to.

3. For the Manner of This Generation

There are two manners of begetting: one carnal and outward, subject to corruption, alteration, and time; the other spiritual and inward. Such was the generation of the Son of God, free from corruption, alteration, or time.

But alas, how can we declare His generation? O my soul, here thou mayest admire and adore with Paul and David, crying out:

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!"

There is no searching into the secret counsels of God, which He has not revealed in His Word. Yet, so far as He has revealed Himself, we shall, with sobriety and according to the light of Scripture, endeavour a discovery of the manner of this spiritual generation of the Son of God.

We must consider two things in God:

1. That in God there is understanding.

2. That in God this understanding everlastingly acts or works.

For the first, that God possesses a most excellent understanding, or that He is understanding itself in the highest degree, is very clear. He who gives understanding to all His intelligent creatures must necessarily have it, and be it, most eminently in Himself. If fire is the cause of heat in other things, it must follow that fire is the hottest of all things. This axiom is common, but Scripture verifies it: “With God is wisdom and strength; He hath counsel and understanding.” Moreover, that this understanding is His very being is plainly declared: “Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.”

For the second, that this understanding in God everlastingly acts or works, is also evident. Understanding (which is the nature, essence, and being of God) is a mere act, or the first act; it is one and the same as the life of God. Now, as all life is active in itself, so the supreme life—such as is in the highest degree to be attributed to God—must necessarily be active. What is the life of God but an essential property, whereby the divine nature is in perpetual action, living and moving in itself? Hence the frequent declaration in Scripture: “The Lord liveth.” Likewise, this is the basis of the asseveration or oath often used by God: “As the Lord liveth,” and, “As I live, saith the Lord.”

Well then, the understanding of God, being active and working from all eternity, must have some eternal object on which it acts or works. Every action requires a suitable object to act upon. Therefore, if God's understanding acts eternally, it must have some eternal object; and if God's understanding acts most perfectly, it must have a most perfect object to act upon. What is this but God Himself? If God's understanding were to act outside Himself, it would imply His understanding acts upon something finite and imperfect. Certainly, nothing is infinite, eternal, and perfect except God Himself. Therefore, if His understanding is to act upon a suitable object, it must act upon none but Himself.

The Manner of This High, Mystical, Spiritual Generation of Jesus, the Son of God

As the understanding of God acts and reflects upon itself from all eternity, it produces this effect: that it understands and conceives itself. It apprehends within itself an image of the object upon which it reflects, and this very image is the Son of God.

Let us consider this with some analogies. A man's soul, as we know, sometimes muses and meditates upon external things, such as Heaven or Earth. This is called a direct or emanant thought. However, sometimes the soul meditates on itself, considering its own essence, faculties, or attributes. This is called a reflective thought. In this reflection, the soul understands itself, forming within its understanding an idea or image of itself. This process is what we call conceiving itself. There is not only carnal conception but also spiritual conception. For example, when I understand or comprehend a concept, I say, I conceive it; I have the idea or image of it within my soul.

Similarly, as in a mirror, a man sees and conceives a perfect image of his own face through reflection. So too, God, in beholding and contemplating Himself, begets or conceives within Himself a most perfect and living image of Himself. This very image is that which, in the Trinity, we call the Son of God.

Thus, Scripture declares Jesus, the Son of God, as “the brightness of His Father’s glory and the express image of His person.”

1. The brightness of His Father’s glory: Herein, God the Father is compared to a luminous body, and God the Son to a beam or splendour issuing from that glorious source.

2. The express image of His person: Herein, God the Father is compared to a seal, and God the Son to the impression resulting from the seal. Just as wax bears the engraved image of the seal, so the Son of God (whom the Father has begotten or conceived in His own understanding) is the very image of the Father’s understanding.

Hence, not only the Father but also the Son is called understanding itself. “I have counsel and wisdom,” saith Christ, “I am understanding.” Whatever the Father is, the Son is. Indeed, in humanity, understanding and the thing understood are usually distinct, but in God, they are one and the same.

God's conceptions and begettings are the most inward of all. The Father conceives within Himself, and this conceiving is a begetting, and His begetting remains within Himself. This is because His understanding can meet with nothing suitable except that which He Himself is. This self-conveyance or self-begetting constitutes the second subsistence in the Trinity, which we call the everlasting Son of God.

4. For the mutual kindness and lovingness of Him that begets, and of Him that is begotten, we say this brings forth a third person or subsistence in God. Now, for the understanding of this matter, we must consider two things: first, that in the essence of God, besides His understanding, there is a will; and secondly, that this will works everlastingly upon itself, just as His understanding does.

For the first, that in the essence of God, besides His understanding, there is a will, is very clear. He who gives a will to all rational creatures cannot lack it Himself. How could He be without will, whose will it is that we will? It is necessary that there should be some prime or chief will, on which all other wills depend. Scripture plainly states: “I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me. My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.”

For the second, that this will in God works everlastingly upon itself, is also clear. As the understanding does, so does the will. The understanding of God acts upon itself as the chief and most perfect truth; therefore, the will of God wills Himself as the chief and most perfect good. Indeed, what other suitable object can the will of God have besides Himself? An infinite will must have an infinite good. In this sense, as our Saviour tells us: “There is none good but one, that is God.” Hence, the will of God reflects upon itself and rests in itself as in an infinite good.

And now we come to the manner of this high, mystical, spiritual procession of the Spirit from the Father and the Son. As the will of God acts and reflects upon itself from all eternity, so it produces this effect: it delights itself in the infinite good that it knows within itself. For the action of the will is delight and liking, and this very delight that God, or His will, has in His own infinite goodness brings forth a third person or subsistence in God, which we call the Holy Ghost.

So, if you would know what the Holy Ghost is, I would answer: it is the mutual kindness, lovingness, joy, and delight of the Father and the Son. The Father, by this act of will, joys and delights in His Son, and the Son, by this act of will, joys and delights in His Father. This is what the Son speaks of Himself and His Father: “I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.” That is, from all eternity, the Son was the Father’s delight, and the Father was the Son’s delight. From all eternity, the Father aspired in His will, love, and joy toward the Son, and the Son aspired in His will, love, and joy toward the Father. From this common desire and aspiring of each person, the Holy Ghost proceeds, completing the Trinity of persons.

I shall explain this further with a similitude or resemblance. When a man looks into a mirror, if he smiles, his image smiles too. There is but one face, yet in this unity, we find a trinity: the face is one, the image of the face in the mirror is another, and the smiling of both together is a third. Yet all are one face, and all are of one face. In the same way, the understanding of God is one; the reflection or image of His understanding, which He beholds in Himself as in a mirror, is a second; and the love and liking of them both together, arising from the fulfilment of the will, is a third. Yet all are in one God, and all are but one God.

In this Trinity, there is neither first nor last in respect of time; all are at once and in one instant. Just as in a mirror, the face and the image of the face smile together, neither one before nor after the other.

To conclude: as we have the Son of the Father by His everlasting will, working through His understanding, so we have the Holy Ghost from the love, joy, and delight of both, by the joint working of understanding and will together. Therefore, we conclude three distinct persons or subsistences, which we call the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in one spiritual, yet unspeakable substance, which is very God Himself.

My intention here is not to insist on the Father or the Holy Ghost but only on the Son. Yet I have added this explanation so that you may better understand the manner of this generation of the Son of God, together with the mutual kindness, lovingness, joy, and delight between the Father and the Son from everlasting.

Sect. II. Of Our Election in Christ Before All Worlds

Now let us look upon Christ in His relation to us before all worlds. God, being thus alone in Himself from everlasting, and there being nothing else besides Him, the first thing He did (besides what we have already considered), or rather the first thing He conceivably could do, was this: a determination within Himself to manifest His glory. Or, in other words, a purpose within Himself to communicate His glory out of His eternal aloneness unto something else. I say unto something else, for what is communication but an efflux, an emanation, an issuing from, or a motion between two terms? I have now brought you to the acts of God in relation to His creatures. Follow me a little further, and I shall shortly bring you to Christ in His relation to ourselves.

These acts of God are twofold:

1. The decree.

2. The execution of the decree of God.

I must explain these terms.

1. The Decree

The decree is an act of God arising from the counsel and purpose of His own will, determining all things, with all their circumstances and order, from eternity. This decree is certain, unchangeable, and yet free. As the Apostle says: “Who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.” This work, or act of God, is internal and forever abiding within His own essence.

2. The Execution of the Decree

The execution of the decree is an act of God by which He effectually works in time all things as they were foreknown and decreed. This act is external, temporal, and proceeds from God to His creatures.

The decree itself is of diverse kinds:

1. A common and general decree that relates to all creatures, which can either be the decree of creation or the decree of providence and preservation.

2. A special decree that pertains to rational creatures, namely angels and men, and is referred to as the decree of predestination. This decree consists of the decree of election and reprobation.

Concerning the common and general decrees, Scripture says little, and they are not directly relevant to our purpose here. Concerning the special decree related to angels, there is also little revealed in Scripture, and this is likewise not our focus. We deal specifically with men and God's decree concerning man’s salvation before all worlds.

This is called predestination, or the decree of election, which applies either to Christ or to the members of Christ.

Christ, the First Elect

Christ Himself was first predestined. This is evident in the words of God: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth: I have put my spirit upon Him; He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.” These very words are interpreted by the Evangelist as referring to Christ Himself (Matthew 12:18). Since Christ was predestined, the members of Christ were predestined in Him. As the Apostle says: “According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.”

We are chosen in Christ as in a common person. He was the first person elected in order, and we were elected in Him. Suppose a new kingdom is established, and a king is chosen: all his successors are chosen in him. Likewise, God has erected a kingdom of glory and chosen Jesus Christ as its king. In Him, He has chosen us, whom He has made kings and priests unto the Most High God.

Notice particularly what the Apostle says: “He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.”

1. He hath chosen us: That is, God the Father has chosen us. This does not imply that the Son and Spirit did not also choose us, for the three persons of the Trinity share one common will. However, because the Son sustains the person of the elect and the Spirit witnesses and seals this grace within our hearts, the Father is named specifically. Similarly, in prayer, the Father is often named alone—not because the other persons are not to be addressed, but because the Son is considered the Mediator and the Spirit the instructor teaching us to pray.

2. He hath chosen us in Him: This “Him” refers to Christ, God-man, as the head and first elect. In Him, and after Him in the order of nature, all His body—the Church—are elected. Note the order, but not the cause, of our election. Though Christ is the cause of our salvation, He is not the cause of our election. The cause of our election is only the foreknowledge and free love of God.

3. He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world: That is, from all eternity. Since within eternity God foresees things done in time, this phrase may extend not only to the actual creation but also to the decree itself of the world's being. This demonstrates that the ancient love the Lord has borne to us in Christ is not recent but eternal. Paul speaks of grace given to us before all worlds.

Blessings in Christ

Observe how we are said to have blessings in Him, for Him, and through Him in Scripture.

1. In Him: “He hath chosen us in Him.”

2. For Him: “To you it is given for Christ’s sake, not only to believe, but also to suffer.”

3. Through Him: “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Blessings come through Christ because He is the Mediator not only of impetration but also of execution, obtaining and applying all grace. Blessings come for Christ because His obedience secures every good thing communicated to us. And blessings come in Christ because, as a common storehouse, all things are first placed in Him before being imparted to us.

This grace of election began with Christ, our Head, and descends to us, His members. Christ is the firstborn among many brethren, having the pre-eminence. Concerning this election of Christ, the Apostle declares: “Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.”

Sect. III. Of That Great Treaty, in Eternity, Betwixt God and Christ, to Save Souls

Now it was that God the Father called forth His Son to perform the office of the Mediator, so that in Him all those who should be saved might be chosen. Concerning this call of God the Father, in a special sense, the Apostle is clear: “No man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron: so also Christ glorified not Himself to be made an High Priest; but He that said unto Him, ‘Thou art My Son; today have I begotten Thee.’” He called Him unto this honour.

Christ did not thrust Himself into this office but came to it by the will of God the Father and by His appointment: “For it pleased the Father by Him to reconcile all things to Himself.” Him hath God the Father sealed. Why? To further assure us of His goodwill to save us, seeing He hath called His Son to this office. Therefore, He will accept all that Christ does for us as that which He Himself has ordained.

And now it was that God the Son embraced the call of the Father and undertook the office of Mediator: “Then said I, ‘Lo, I come.’” No question, this was truth from everlasting: “The Lord God opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.” And again, “As the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do.” No sooner had the Father called than Christ accepted the office to which He was appointed by the Father.

This is plain from the words: “Him hath God the Father sealed.” He was sealed by ordination, by qualification, and by way of investiture, as public officers are invested in their positions by receiving their commissions under seal. This must necessarily be the case because whatsoever the Father wills, the Son wills also: “I and My Father are One,” saith Christ.

How Are They One?

1. One in Will: This is evident from the preceding words concerning Christ’s sheep: “My Father gave them Me, and I give unto them eternal life.” The Father and the Son are in agreement to save Christ’s sheep. The Father is willing, and Christ is willing. The will of the Father and the will of the Son are perfectly united, for they are One.

2. One in Power: This also appears in the preceding words: “These sheep shall never perish,” saith Christ, “neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.” Here is the power of Christ, fully engaged for the salvation of His sheep. If He has any power in Him, not one of them shall perish. Moreover, His power prevails because it is united with the power of the Father, both equally engaged in this work. The sheep are equally secure in the hands of the Father and the Son.

3. One in Nature: This is particularly emphasised in the words: “I and My Father are One.” The Father and the Son share one nature, one essence, and one being. This unity not only proves their agreement in the great work of saving souls but guarantees that they can never disagree. Two beings with distinct wills might agree for a time, but they could eventually diverge. However, since the Father and the Son have one essence and one will, disagreement is impossible.

Thus, from everlasting, the Father calls the Son to the office of Mediator:

“Come, My Son, the Son of My joy and high delight; My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. There is a thought in My heart to communicate Myself, out of My everlasting aloneness, unto something else. My thought, My purpose, or My intention, follows this order: first, I intend My own glory; then Christ; then the Church; then the world. My providence disposes all things, more excellent things being ordained first. Next to My glory and its manifestation, I will have a Christ. This Christ shall be the chief pattern of the election of grace. Next to Christ the Head, I intend a body—His Church. This body I will predestinate to be conformed to the image of My Son. Behold, I call Thee to the office of Mediator: ‘Thou art My Son; today (even in this day of eternity) have I begotten Thee.’ And today (even in this day of eternity) I call Thee to this honour: to be an High Priest forever.”

And as the Father calls, so the Son from everlasting accepts the office to which He is appointed by the Father:

“Come, is that the voice of My everlasting Father? Lo, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of Me: to do Thy will, O God. This is My mind, and this shall be My mind forever. When I am incarnate, this shall be My meat: to do the will of Him that sent Me, to finish His work. Glorious Father, Thy will is My will. I seek not Mine own will, as if I had a will distinct from Thine, but the will of My Father. Now therefore, I accept this honour. Be it to Me, or be it with Me, even as Thou pleasest.”

This call of the Father and response of the Son is fully confirmed in Christ’s words: “I was set up from everlasting.”

The Particulars of the Treaty Betwixt God and Christ to Save Souls

1. The Project.

2. The Counsel.

3. The Foreknowledge.

4. The Purpose.

5. The Decree.

6. The Covenant.

All these are found in our first period, in that eternity before time, before the creation of the world.

Sect. IV. The Project

The project to save souls is diversely laid down by dissenting brethren. Some describe it thus:

1. That there should be a Mediator and Redeemer for mankind, considered as fallen into a state of sin.

2. That all such as repent, believe, and persevere unto the end should be received into favour.

3. That sufficient and necessary means of grace should be offered and administered to all men without exception.

4. That certain specific persons should be saved, whom God foresaw would repent, believe, and persevere.

This view is justly opposed by others, who deny that God’s acts in intention are in the same order as we see them in production. In the order of material existence, it is granted that Christ is revealed, promised, and exhibited after sin, and that we repent, believe, and persevere before we are saved. However, in the order of God’s intention, Christ precedes sin, and salvation precedes repentance, faith, and perseverance.

The Apostle outlines the order in which things exist as follows:

1. The world.

2. You, the elect.

3. Christ.

4. God (1 Corinthians 3:22-23).

But he gives us to understand the order of intention thus: first, God intends His own glory; then Christ; then the elect; and finally, the world.

Certainly, it is a difficult task to arrange the eternal, immanent acts of the divine understanding or will into first, second, third, and fourth. All of God’s projects are like Himself—a whole and perfect possession of Himself together and at once. In Him, there is no prius nor posterius (earlier or later) in any of His acts. Yet, when considered in their effects or in respect to us, one thing may be said to be first, second, or third in nature, time, and being, before or after another.

Thus, in respect to us, we say the end must, in nature, precede the means to that end. The permission of the fall, repentance, faith, and perseverance are used by God as means to bring some to salvation. Therefore, God first projects our salvation and then the means to that salvation. Both the end and the means are the product of God’s election or predestination.

Here, then, is the project: that God will glorify His grace. To this end, He will predestinate Christ, and in Christ, He will choose some of the sons of men to salvation, whom—despite their sin—He will make holy and without blame before Him in love.

This project, or plot, or design of God will be further enlarged upon in the next passage, viz. His Counsels.

Sect. V. The Counsel

Of the counsels of God concerning man, before all worlds, we read in several texts. “Christ was delivered by the determinate counsel of God.” And again: “For of a truth, against Thy holy child Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together, to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be done.” Likewise, the members of Christ are said to “obtain an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.”

Of this counsel of God’s will, we know but little now; yet it will be fully revealed when we come to glory. Indeed, it will be a great part of the glory of heaven for the Lord to make known the counsel of His will. We now know His will, but we shall then know the counsel of His will and praise Him to all eternity for it. This will be the glory of the saints—that they shall see into the counsel of God’s will in choosing them, calling them, and passing by others, letting them go. In the meantime, thus far we may know, for thus far He has revealed Himself concerning His counsels about man from everlasting.

1. Man as a Rational Creature

God determined that man should be a reasonable creature. Because this creature is unavoidably subject to its Creator (for “He made all things for Himself” and all is to return glory to Him for which it was made), man should serve Him as all other creatures must. However, man’s service was to be rendered in a reasonable manner—out of judgment, discretion, and election.

Thus, David is said to have “chosen the way of truth,” and Moses “chose the afflictions of God’s people and the reproaches of Christ” over the pleasures of sin or the treasures of Egypt. For this reason, holiness in Scripture is referred to as “judgment”: “He shall convince the world of judgment” and “He shall bring forth judgment unto victory.” Similarly, our service to God is called a “reasonable service.” God would not impose a deterministic law over man’s operations, as He does with other creatures, so that man might truly act out of judgment and stand or fall by his own election.

2. Deviating from Reasonable Service

God counselled that if man deviated from this reasonable service and broke the law, which he would have the original power to perform, he would incur God’s displeasure. A curse and penalty would be inflicted accordingly. Here, God foresaw the fall of man and regarded it as a wilful transgression of His law. The more just the law and the easier the obedience, the more unreasonable the transgression and the greater the certainty and severity of the punishment.

3. Sin Shall Not Go Unpunished

God resolved that sin should not pass unrevenged for the following reasons:

1. God’s Infinite Hatred of Sin: He is “of purer eyes than to behold evil” and “cannot look on iniquity.” Sin provokes His abhorrence: “These are things which I hate, saith the Lord. They are a trouble unto Me; I am weary to bear them.”

2. God’s Truth: He declared: “In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die”—that is, die temporally and eternally. God will not abolish this law, for “one jot or tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled.”

3. God’s Terror and Majesty: God desires men to tremble before Him and be persuaded by His terror not to sin. “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” Again: “Fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell. I say unto you, fear Him.” And: “Let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire.”

For these reasons, God resolved that sin would not pass unrevenged, lest His justice be abused, His hatred of sin go undeclared, His truth be questioned, and His majesty be neglected.

4. Man Not Utterly Destroyed Despite Sin

God also resolved that man, despite sin, should not be utterly destroyed. This He determined for the following reasons:

1. God’s Infinite Delight in Mercy: The Lord delights in mercy, which disposes Him to pardon abundantly and exercise loving-kindness toward the sons of men: “Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardonest iniquity and passest by the transgression of the remnant of Thy heritage? Thou retainest not Thy anger forever, because Thou delightest in mercy.” Again: “I am the Lord, which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.”

2. God’s Delight in Being Glorified by His Creatures: God desires voluntary service and subjection from His creatures. “Herein is My Father glorified, if ye bear much fruit.” Also: “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that he turn from his way and live.” God esteems Himself more glorified by the service than by the suffering of men. He delights in unbloody conquests, subduing hearts, affections, and consciences through His patience and goodness.

If God destroyed all mankind, there would be no religion upon the earth. When the angels fell, not all were lost; many remained to glorify Him in active service. However, when Adam fell, all mankind fell in him, leaving no tree in the garden of the world to bear fruit unto God. Yet God desires trees for fruit, not merely for fuel. Hence, He resolved that mankind, despite sin, should not be utterly destroyed.

Hereupon the Trinity calls a counsel; and the question is: What is to be done with poor man? The learned here frame a kind of conflict in God’s holy attributes, and, by a liberty which the Holy Ghost permits from the language of Holy Scripture, they speak of God after the manner of men, as if He were reduced to straits and difficulties by the cross demands of His several attributes.

Justice calls upon Him for the condemnation of a sinful, and therefore justly accursed, creature; this demand is seconded by His truth, to fulfil the threat: “In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.” Mercy, on the other side, pleads for favour and compassion towards man, woefully seduced and overthrown by Satan. This plea is supported by love, goodness, and other like attributes.

At last, when the matter comes to determination, wisdom finds out a way that causes the angels of heaven to gaze with admiration and astonishment. It reconciles these differing pleas of His attributes together. A Jesus is resolved upon—one of the same blessed Trinity—who, by His Father’s ordination, His own voluntary undertaking, and the Holy Spirit’s sanctification, should be fitted for this great work.

To this purpose, this Jesus should be both a surety and a head over sinful men: a surety to pay men’s debts to God, and a head to restore God’s image unto man. Thus, in Him, “mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”

This is the great mystery of the Gospel. This is what the angels, as I tell you, look into with wonder. Indeed, this is what both angels and saints shall admire and bless God for throughout all eternity. It is the mystery that engaged the infinite wisdom of God from all eternity. If all the angels in heaven and all the men in the world had been tasked with answering this question—How shall sin be pardoned, the sinner reconciled, and God glorify His justice?—they could never have done it.

This cost God dearly; it cost Him the heart-blood of His own Son. That is a sure sign that God’s heart was deeply invested in this plan. Truly, we are not Christians until, in some measure, we see and have our hearts captivated by the glory of God in this mystery.

O the wonder of heaven and earth! Here is the case: Man has fallen through sin, and ever since the fall, man and sin have been as inseparably joined together as fire and heat. Yet God will have mercy on the man, and He will take vengeance on the sin. The eternal wisdom of God has devised a way to transfer this man’s sins onto another person who is able to bear them and to invest this man in another’s righteousness, which is sufficient to cover him.

Now, it is as if the law had been utterly abrogated, in regard to man; and as if the creature had been utterly condemned, in regard to God. And all this is done in our Jesus. On Him was executed the curse of the law; by Him was fulfilled the righteousness of the law; for Him was remitted the sin of man; and through Him were all things made new again.

The world was in Christ as its surety, making satisfaction to the justice of God; and God was in Christ as His ambassador, reconciling the world unto Himself again. O the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!

You have seen the project and the counsels of God for man’s salvation before all worlds. Yet you have seen but dimly, for: “Who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been His counsellor?”

Sect. VI. The Foreknowledge

Of the knowledge of God in this respect, we read in Scripture: “Christ is said to be delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.” It is said of Christ's members, “the called according to His purpose, whom He did foreknow.” Elsewhere in the same Epistle: “God hath not cast away His people, which He foreknew.” And Peter writes to the strangers: “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.”

Understand that foreknowledge is ascribed to God in respect of the creature properly; but in respect of God, there is nothing past, nothing to come. All things—past and future—are present to Him, and therefore, in that sense, He cannot be said to foreknow anything. The Lord, in respect of us, is said in Scripture to foreknow things or persons in two ways.

1. Generally: By a general knowledge, of which David speaks: “Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect; and in Thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”

2. Specially: By a more special foreknowledge, which is a knowledge with love and approbation—the very same that comprehends what we call election. God’s choosing is expressed by loving: “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” This is what the Apostle refers to: “The Lord knoweth who are His,” (i.e.) the Lord, from everlasting, knows His own with love and approbation. “Hath God cast away His people which He foreknew?” (i.e.) which He before loved and approved?

From this, we understand that after the project was laid and the counsels of God were agreed upon, God foreknew, or foresaw, whom to embrace in His eternal love as His own. In one act, He foreknew whom He would choose and set apart, of His own free love, for life and salvation.

The Cause of Predestination

Here we find the cause of God’s predestinating His saints to glory: it was only the foreknowledge and free love of God. The Lord, from everlasting and before the foundation of the world, foreordained or foreappointed some to salvation. Nothing moved Him to this but His own good pleasure and His own free love.

This is the order, and in nature, the cause of our predestination: “For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate.” First, He foreknew, and then He predestinated. First, He loved, and then He elected. First, He embraced them as His own in the arms of His eternal love, and then, of His free love, He set them apart for life and salvation. Hence, the Apostle calls it “the election of grace,” signifying that our election springs from the womb of love. Free love, free grace, is the cause of our election.

Answering Objections

Some object that we are predestinated and elected according to foreknowledge, (i.e.) according to the foreknowledge of our faith, repentance, and perseverance. However, if that were Paul’s understanding of foreknowledge, why then would he say that “those whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son”? If God foreknew them already conformed, why would He predestinate them to be conformed?

And if that were Peter’s understanding of foreknowledge, why would he write that they were “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father—unto obedience”? If God foreknew them already obedient, how could He foreknow them unto obedience?

The Question of Conditional Election

I know it is a question whether God, in foresight of belief and perseverance in faith and holiness, chooses us to salvation. For my part, I affirm the negative, based on these well-known grounds:

1. God’s Foreknowledge is Rooted in His Love: Foreknowledge, as described in Scripture, is not a mere intellectual foresight of human actions but a sovereign and loving determination of those whom God sets His grace upon.

2. Faith and Obedience are Fruits, Not Causes, of Election: If election were based on foreseen faith or works, grace would no longer be free but conditional. Instead, faith and obedience flow from God’s prior act of electing love.

3. Election is According to Grace Alone: Paul explicitly ties election to grace, not to foreseen merit or performance: “It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.”

In this, the Scripture shows us the glorious sovereignty of God’s election: it is grounded in His eternal love and free grace, not in human merit or foresight of works.

1. Because election based on foreseen faith makes God look outside Himself, considering something in the creature upon which His will might depend to elect. This is contrary to the all-sufficiency of God's knowledge, as if He gained knowledge from the things we know, and contrary to the all-sufficiency of God's will, as if He were beholden to something in us before determining the matter of our election.

2. Because election based on foreseen faith or love makes God choose us because we have chosen Him and love us because we have first loved Him. This is contrary to Scripture: “We love Him because He first loved us.” And again: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

3. Because election based on foreseen faith is incompatible with the freedom of God's will. God plainly declares: “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” Some argue this text does not refer to election from eternity but to justification, adoption, or salvation. Yet they admit the principle is the same, whether applied to election or justification. The phrase “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy” corresponds to God's words to Moses: “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” To “be gracious” denotes a readiness of will to confer some great good without any external cause or obligation, especially from the recipient of the benefit. This shows that “I will have mercy” does not depend on anything in the recipient but solely on God’s pleasure. In this, mercy differs little, if at all, from grace. The Apostle's adaptation of Moses' words serves as his interpretation.

4. Because election based on foreseen faith implies we are ordained to eternal life because we believe. Yet Scripture declares the reverse: “As many as were ordained to eternal life believed,” not “as many as believed were ordained to eternal life.”

5. Because a prime and eternal cause cannot depend on the temporal effects it produces. Election is the prime and eternal cause from which our faith, repentance, and perseverance flow. Therefore, faith, repentance, and perseverance cannot be antecedent causes, conditions, or motives for divine election.

6. Because election based on foreseen faith or perseverance in faith and holiness introduces several absurdities:

1. This supposes that men are elected not as in a state of innocence or misery, but as already in a state of grace, which contradicts the tenets of those who hold this view.

2. This removes faith, holiness, and perseverance from being the gracious effects of election and makes election depend on foreseen acts of belief, obedience, and perseverance. This is contrary to Scripture: “He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.”

3. This implies that election or predestination provides no assistance to the way of eternal salvation. How can election be the cause infallibly leading to eternal life if it is not even considered until, in God's foreknowledge, a man has already completed his race in faith and godliness and arrived at heaven’s gates? Such a falsely named predestination might more accurately be called a post-destination.

But I have dwelt too long on this controversy, and indeed it is against my purpose. My aim is not to stir up questions but rather to edify in faith. I recall what I have read, and indeed, I begin to feel that such controversial points may disquiet our spirits and diminish our zeal, love, and delight in Jesus. This lovely subject, our contemplation, is interrupted and diverted by such discussions. Not a word more on this matter.

Section VII: The Purpose

Of the purpose of God concerning man's salvation before all worlds, we read in Scripture: "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." It is also written of Jacob and Esau that, "being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, the purpose of God according to election might stand." Furthermore, in Christ, we are said to obtain an inheritance, "being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His own will." Elsewhere, the Apostle speaks of "the manifold wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Again, it is said: "He hath saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."

All these passages affirm this truth: that God purposed in Himself from all eternity to bring those whom He foreknew to life and salvation. This purpose of God, in the order of nature, precedes predestination, as we are said to be predestined "according to His purpose." Yet, it must necessarily follow after His foreknowledge and counsel; for first, He loves before He purposes, and every purpose is established by counsel. Indeed, "without counsel, purposes are disappointed," says the wise man. Therefore, first He counsels (speaking after the manner of men), and then He foreknows. That is, either He knows whom He will choose—for God does not blindly choose without knowledge—or He sets His love upon some, knowing them with a knowledge of approval, and then He settles His purpose to bring them to life, whom He thus foreknows in this special and unspeakable manner.

This purpose of God declares the stability and certainty of our salvation in Christ. When God purposes, it is unalterable: "Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand," says the Lord. You may confidently affirm that God's purposes are immutable. Would Paul, in human frailty, lightly change his purposes? "When I was thus minded," he says, "did I use lightness? Or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea, yea, and nay, nay?" If Paul would not alter his purposes, how much less would God alter His? This truth seems to speak as though God Himself declares from eternity: "It is My purpose to save a remnant of mankind. Though all are lost by sin, My wisdom has found a way to choose some. Though those few whom I purpose to save stand in slippery places, yet I remain the same yesterday, today, and forever."

God foresees countless failures and provocations to alter His purpose toward His people. He foresees their daily provocations of His justice, their inner lusts, their external enemies, and the mutability of the grace He will give them. If left to their own counsel, they would certainly depart from Him. As water, though heated to boiling, returns to its original coldness when left to itself, so would they. Even at their best, at full tide of grace, they remain changeable as wheels and as perplexed in themselves as wheels crossing one another. Yet God declares: "I purpose to bring this little flock to heaven. My purpose is in and from Myself; I am God and not man. I cannot repent nor call back My purpose. Have I said, and shall I not do it? Have I spoken, and shall I not make it good? My purposes shall stand."

To accomplish this purpose, He sets His Son between Himself and His people. Though they sin, He looks upon Christ, seeing no iniquity in Jacob nor transgression in Israel. Furthermore, He joins the living creatures to the wheels, so that when the living creatures move, the wheels move; when they stand, the wheels stand; and when they are lifted up, the wheels are lifted up as well. This signifies that the saints' stability comes not from themselves, but from God and His Son, with whom they are united by the same Spirit of life.

Thus, we imagine the Lord from eternity declaring and resolving His purposes. Surely, His purposes must stand, for "the gifts and calling of God are without repentance."

Section VIII: The Decree

The decree of God concerning man's salvation before the foundation of the world appears in these texts: “I will declare the decree,” saith God. What is this decree? It is concerning Christ and His Church: “Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” It was God's decree to gather a Church for Christ out of both Jews and Gentiles. This decree was made in that eternal day when the Son of God was begotten of His Father.

In Scripture, this decree is referred to by various titles.

1. It is the very same as what we commonly call predestination. What is predestination but the decree of God concerning the distribution of grace, whereby some are infallibly guided to salvation? Predestination is a decree concerning both the means and the end: a decree of granting grace effectual to some persons in this life and bringing those same persons to glory in the life to come. This golden chain of means and ends is set forth by the Apostle: “Whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” Just as God predestined some to life and glory, so He also predestined that they should be called and justified before being glorified. Whomever the Lord decrees to save, He also decrees to sanctify before they enjoy that salvation: “He hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” Observe how these are intertwined, as the Apostle writes again: “God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.”

Yet, some blasphemously reason: “If we are predestined to be saved, we may live as we please; for no matter how wickedly we live, we shall still be saved.” O fearful and devilish reasoning! Surely this comes not from God or His Word, but from the Devil. Mark here one of Satan's snares: in temporal matters, he tempts men to distrust God and rely wholly on means; but in spiritual matters, he tempts men to rely solely on God's decrees, disregarding the means. Such reasoning might equally say: “The Lord has appointed the length of our lives, so we shall not die until then; therefore, what need have we of food in health or medicine in sickness?” Beware of such reasoning! God's decree does not negate the use of means but rather establishes and confirms them.

2. The decree is also referred to as the book of life, wherein the names of the elect are written. Paul speaks of certain women, along with Clement and other fellow labourers, “whose names are in the book of life.” Christ exhorts His disciples to rejoice because their names are “written in heaven.” John, in his vision, saw “the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life.” Just as captains keep a roll of their soldiers and cities record the names of their citizens, so God has His book of life, registering all who belong to Him. Moses, in his zeal for Israel, said: “Blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.” To this, the Lord replied: “Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.” However, this may not refer to God's eternal decree but rather to the book of His providences. God has a double book: the book of His eternal decrees and the book of His providential acts. The latter is but a transcript of the former, a daily record written by the hand of providence, fulfilling His eternal purposes concerning salvation.

3. The decree is also likened to a seal: “The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, ‘The Lord knoweth them that are His.’” A seal serves three purposes: to distinguish, to keep secret, and to ensure safety. In all these respects, God's decrees act as a seal, especially in the sense of safety. Those whom God seals are secure in His love and favour. As Job declares, “He sealeth up the stars,” preserving them in their orbits. Similarly, God seals His saints, ensuring their eternal security in His love, so that they will never fall from His heart.

All these titles affirm the immutability of God's eternal acts: “I decree, I predestinate, I record it in the book of life, and I seal it, that certain persons shall be eternally saved.” Why does God do this? To demonstrate the certainty and stability of His purpose. Do earthly monarchs decree, record, and seal their resolutions to showcase their greatness and wisdom, so that none may challenge them? How much more shall God, who knows all things and foresees every outcome, maintain His purposes? Is there any power that can wrest His chosen from His hand? Can anything arise to make Him more wise, merciful, or powerful than He is? No! “I am the Lord; I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

Section IX: The Covenant

The covenant concerning man's salvation is the last and most significant particular I referenced. I dare not be too curious in insisting upon the order of nature, especially as I believe the covenant between God and Christ from everlasting is interwoven with the decree, foreknowledge, and election previously discussed. As the Apostle tells us: “He hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world.” Mark that: in Christ. There was an eternal design between the Father and the Son—a sacred agreement (if I may speak reverently) between God and Christ. There was a covenant made between the Lord and His Son, Jesus Christ, for the salvation of the elect. Let us observe some key texts on this matter.

In Isaiah 49:1–4, the prophet appears to present this dialogue in dramatic form. It is expressed as follows: First, Christ begins by showing His commission, recounting how God had called Him and prepared Him for the work of redemption. Christ asks what reward He shall receive for such a great undertaking: “The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me.”

In response, God declares what reward He shall give Him for this immense labour. Initially, He offers a modest reward—the elect among the people of Israel: “And he said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” Or, “It is Israel in whom I will be glorified by thee.” However, Christ, standing in this eternal negotiation, regards this as too small a recompense for so great a labour, especially as few among the Jews would accept Him, while most would reject Him. Thus, He laments: “I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and in vain.” Yet, He comforts Himself with the thought that His work and reward remain with the Lord.

At this point, God speaks more freely, revealing His larger plan and a more fitting reward for Christ's suffering: “It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth.” It is as if God were saying to Christ from eternity: “See, I have loved a remnant of mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, with an everlasting love. I know they will sin, corrupt themselves, and become enemies to me, deserving eternal death. But thou art a mighty person, able to accomplish all that I require of thee for their salvation. If thou wilt take upon thee their nature and sin, satisfy my justice and law, remove their hatred towards me, and make them a believing and holy people, then I will pardon them, adopt them as my sons and daughters in thee, and make them co-heirs with thee of an incorruptible crown of life.”

To this, Christ replies: “Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.” Thus, Christ, as it were, strikes hands with God, agreeing to take upon Himself the nature and sin of man, and to do and suffer all that God requires. Surely, this is the foundation of our salvation—first transacted between God the Father and Christ before it was revealed to us.

Hence, we are said to be given to Christ: “I have manifested thy name,” said Christ, “unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest them me.” This act of giving implies that the Father, in eternity, said to the Son: “These I choose as vessels of mercy. They will destroy themselves, but thou shalt save them from their lost estate.” The Son receives them from His Father's hand and commits Himself to fulfil His Father's will: “This is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing.” For this reason, Christ cares for them with the utmost diligence, valuing them above all things.

In Isaiah 53:10–11 and Psalm 40:7, Christ is portrayed as a surety, offering Himself for us and willingly accepting God's will in this very matter. Consequently, He is called God's servant, and His ears are said to be opened in readiness to obey.

The Covenant in Isaiah 42:6

In Isaiah 42:6, this very covenant is explicitly mentioned. Thus, God speaks of Christ: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth: I will give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles.” Indeed, this covenant and agreement appear to be confirmed with an oath, as referenced in Hebrews 7:28. For this service, Christ is required to ask of God, who will give Him the heathen for His inheritance. Observe how the Church is given to Christ as a reward for the obedience He demonstrated in accepting the office of a Surety for us. Some interpret this stipulation as the counsel of peace spoken of by the prophet Zechariah: “The counsel of peace shall be between them both” (i.e., between the Lord and the man whose name is the Branch).

This agreement also gives rise to Christ being called the second Adam. Just as God made a covenant with the first Adam concerning him and his posterity, so too did He make a covenant with Christ and His seed concerning eternal life to be obtained through Him. It is true that some promises were made solely to Christ in His person, not to descend to His children—for instance: “Sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool,” and “He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.” Likewise: “Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.”

However, there are other promises made both to Him and to His people. The grand promise, “I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son,” was first made to Him and then to us. Similarly, promises of spiritual grace (John 1:16), justification (Isaiah 50:8), victory and dominion (Psalm 110:2), and the kingdom of glory (Luke 24:26) were all first made to Him and then extended to us.

The Eternal Agreement

From eternity, the matter was thus: “Here is man, lost,” said God to His Son, “but thou shalt, in the fullness of time, be born of flesh and blood, die for them, and satisfy my justice. They shall be thine for a portion and shall be called the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord” (Isaiah 62:12). To this, the Father added: “This shalt thou do, and upon these terms, they shall live if they believe.” This was God's covenant with the Son of His love for us. The Son, as it were, replied: “Content, Father, I will go, fulfil thy pleasure, and they shall be mine forever. I will, in the fullness of time, die for them, and they shall live in me. Burnt offerings and sin offerings thou hast not required—no, it was self-offering. Then said I, Lo, I come; in the volume of the book, it is written of me, to do thy will, O God.”

What is this book wherein it was written that Christ should come to do God's will? It is not only the book of the Law and the Prophets but also the book of God's decrees. In this sense, “the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world.” From eternity, the Father appointed Him to be our High Priest, and from eternity, He willingly subscribed to His Father's will.

The Covenant in Galatians 3:15–16

In Galatians 3:15–16, Paul writes: “Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, ‘and to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ.” This raises a question: Was this covenant made solely between God and Christ, or solely between God and us, or between God, Christ, and us together?

Two Views on the Covenant

1. First View: Some argue that there is no covenant or promise made directly with us, but only with Christ on our behalf. Christ represented us, covenanted with God for us, and fulfilled the conditions required for life and glory. Thus, all the promises were made to Him. Yet, because we are Christ’s, and therefore partake in the covenant, it is sometimes referred to as a covenant made with us: “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” This does not mean the covenant is truly made with us but with Christ for us. When we experience the power of the promise, we come to realise that we are in that covenant God made with Christ rather than entering directly into covenant with God ourselves.

2. Second View: Others argue that the covenant is not made with Christ personally but with Christ mystically—that is, with those who are members of Christ and united to Him. They point to the text, which first speaks of the promise to Abraham and then to his seed. This seed is understood to have a right to the promise in connection to Abraham. Thus, the promise is not made to Christ in His personal capacity but to Christ as the head of His body—the Church. The text distinguishes between two kinds of Abraham's seed: the carnal, natural seed according to the flesh (e.g., the Jews) and the spiritual seed, who walk in the faith of Abraham. As Paul writes: “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” Again: “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.” Thus, the promise pertains not to both the carnal and spiritual seed but only to the spiritual, which is Christ mystical—the body of Christ, consisting of the faithful united to Him by a true and living faith.

The Covenant Between God, Christ, and Us

3. Others argue that this covenant is made both between God and Christ and between God and us. First, it is made between God and Christ: all the work of redemption and salvation was transacted between God and Christ before the foundation of the world. However, this does not preclude the same promise from being made to us in time. Consider covenants among men: while a child is yet unborn, a father secures an inheritance for his child, keeping it in his own possession until the child is born and comes of age. At that point, he transfers it into the child’s hands. Similarly, we are for a time hidden in the womb of God’s election until we are brought forth by the grace of regeneration. During this period, we are not yet capable in ourselves of receiving any promise of life directly; instead, it is made to Christ on our behalf, and He receives the promise from the Father in our stead. Yet, when we are born anew, the promises are then made directly to us, and we are placed into possession of them.

This, then, is the meaning of the text: the covenant is made with Christ, that is, with Christ and His heirs—principally with Christ and Abraham’s nature in Him, but also personally with believers, who are the seed of Abraham. The distinction lies in the term Christ—whether it refers to Christ personal, Christ mystical, or Christ representative. We assert the following:

1. Not Christ personal—that is, not Christ’s person singly considered. For this,

- Would conflict with Paul’s purpose, which is to prove that the promise of eternal life is made to all believers.

- Would imply that the promise of eternal life is given only to Christ and not to those who believe in Him.

2. Not Christ mystical—

- The promise is made to Christ, “in whom the covenant was confirmed.”

- “In whom the nations were blessed.”

- “In whom we receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

- “Who was made a curse for us.”

None of these can apply to Christ mystical. Christ mystical (the Church, as His body) did not confirm the covenant, bless the nations, give the Spirit, or become a curse.

3. It is Christ representative—Christ the Mediator, Christ as a public person, to whom the promises were made. Christ and His heirs together form one confederate family. Just as the covenant of works was made with Adam and all his descendants (not two separate covenants), so too is this covenant made with the second Adam and His children. However, each individual receives the promise in their own order: “Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s.”

Looking to Jesus in Eternity

I have now set forth the object we are to look unto: it is Jesus, from that eternity before all time until the creation. Our next consideration is to guide ourselves in the art or mystery of grace—how we are to look unto Him in this respect.

CHAPTER II

SECTION I: On Knowing Jesus Carrying on the Great Work of Our Salvation in Eternity

Looking comprehends knowing, considering, desiring, hoping, believing, loving, rejoicing, calling upon Jesus, and conforming to Him. If we desire to have an inward, experiential look upon Jesus, we must act and exercise all these elements.

1. We must know Jesus, carrying on the great work of our salvation in that eternity before all time. Come, learn who this Jesus is:

1. In His relation to God, He is God's Son, eternally begotten before all worlds. Reflect on this deeply: who was begotten? When was it? How did it occur? And what was the mutual love and kindness between Him who begot and Him who was begotten? O the height and depth of this knowledge!

2. In His relation to us before all worlds, study the great transaction between God and Christ for our salvation.

1. Study God’s project: that He would glorify His grace by predestining Christ and, in Christ, choosing souls—among them, even you. Despite your sin, He determined to make you holy and without blame before Him in love.

2. Study God’s counsels concerning humanity: how could sin be pardoned, the sinner reconciled, and God's justice glorified? Only the wisdom of God could devise a way to show mercy to man while taking vengeance on sin. Consider the depth of the riches of God's wisdom and knowledge: He devised a way to place man's sin (even your sin) on another’s shoulders, and to clothe man's person (even yourself) in another's righteousness.

3. Study God’s foreknowledge: how He knew His people from everlasting with a knowledge of love and approval. Once the project and counsel of God were settled, He foreknew whom to embrace in His eternal love. O my soul, if you are one of His, if God in Christ has set you apart to life and salvation by His free love, then know it for yourself. This is the inward, experiential knowledge we speak of.

4. Study God’s purpose concerning your salvation. This purpose speaks to the stability and certainty of your salvation in Christ. His purpose comes from Himself, who is God and not man, and therefore cannot repent. “Hath He said, and shall He not do it? Hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?”

5. Study God’s decrees, which are one with predestination, the book of life, and the seal of God. What has the Lord decreed, predestined, booked, and sealed concerning your salvation? O how blessed are the people that know this joyful sound! “They shall walk in the light of Thy countenance, O Lord.”

6. Study the covenant of grace: Recall how the eternal plan unfolded. “Here is every man lost,” said God to His Son, “but thou shalt, in the fullness of time, be born of flesh and blood, die for some of them, satisfy my justice, and they shall be thine for a portion, called the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord.” To this, the Son replied: “Be it so, Lord. I will go and fulfil Thy pleasure, and they shall be mine forever.”

Observe and meditate on this covenant as expressed in that divine dialogue:

1. First, the Father demands of the Son that He lay down His life, promising in return that He shall have His seed, and God will give Him many children.

2. Secondly, the Son consents to lay down His life, declaring: “Here I am to do Thy will, O God; Thou hast given me a body.”

What a marvellous truth to contemplate, O my soul! That the Father and Christ should transact an agreement from eternity concerning you; that there should be a communion between the Father and the Son regarding your happiness and salvation—surely this is worth all your effort and study. O hear this truth and know it for your good.

SECTION II: On Considering Jesus in That Respect

2. We must consider Jesus, carrying on this work of salvation in that eternity. It is not enough to study and know Him; according to the measure of knowledge we have attained, we must ponder, muse, meditate, and consider Him. Consideration involves expanding and enlarging the mind and heart on a particular subject. It is the fixing of our thoughts, a steadfast bending of our minds to a spiritual matter until it moves our affections and transforms our conversation.

We may know a thing yet remain inconsiderate of what we know. But when the intention of our mind and heart is fully fixed on a single known object, excluding all others for the moment, this is true consideration. O, if it were possible, let us so consider Jesus in this first period of eternity that, for a while at least, we could forget all other things! Christians, I beseech you, be dead to the world, insensible to all else, and fix your gaze upon Jesus.

It is said that men in a frenzy are insensible to what is done to them because their minds are so intensely occupied with a single apprehension. If ever there was an object worthy of consuming the mind of a spiritual person, it is this—Jesus. Other objects may preoccupy minds deeply, even seriously. It is said of Archimedes, the great mathematician, that when his city was taken, with warlike instruments of death clattering about his ears and the world in tumult, he was so absorbed in drawing his lines that he neither heard the noise nor recognised the danger. If such objects could engross his mind so completely, how much more should the consideration of Christ absorb ours? If a carnal heart can be wholly captivated by earthly things suited to its nature, how much more should a gracious heart, which perceives the reality of God and Christ from everlasting, be consumed by them?

Come then, O my soul, and set thy consideration to work as follows:

1. Consider Jesus in His Relation to God

Behold how He is the eternal Son of the Father. In some respects, we as sinners have little reason to look upon Jesus in this way. As fallen beings, we cannot behold the absolute Deity. That Majesty, being perfectly and essentially good, is an enemy to sinners in their sin. Thus, as sinners, we cannot contemplate the Son of God in His eternal being as co-equal and co-essential with the Father. Alas, our sin has provoked His justice, which is His very self. How can we, who have offended Him, approach His dreadful power?

However, consider Jesus as Jesus, which means "Saviour" to all sinners who believe in Him. This Jesus unites in His person both the Godhead and manhood. Now, those who have their interest in Him may draw near and, as they are able, behold the brightness of His glory.

Scripture reveals God the Son as the second person of the Trinity, receiving His personal subsistence from the Father alone, by the communication of His essence. He is begotten from all eternity: “When there were no depths, I was brought forth—before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth.” Some translate this as “Before the mountains, I was begotten” (ante colles genita eram), while others render it as “Before the mountains, I was sonned” (ante colles filiata eram).

2. Be Not Over-Curious in This Consideration

O my soul, consider Jesus, the Son of God, but let not thy curiosity exceed sobriety. You hear of the generation of the Son and the procession of the Holy Ghost, but inquire not too deeply into how the Father begets the Son or how the Father and Son breathe forth the Holy Spirit. These mysteries demand reverence, not speculation. Honour the generation of the Son of God with silence.

I recall the story of one who was too curious, asking what God was doing in that long eternity before He made the world. The answer was given: “He decreed to make hell for such curious inquisitors.” Let us not tread the same path. Restrain curiosity within the bounds of sobriety and humility. Yet, within those bounds, let us consider, as the Scriptures reveal, what God was doing before He created the world in that vast expanse of eternity:

1. Some things in relation to Himself.

2. Some things in relation to His creatures.

1. Some Things in Relation to Himself

These things were either proper to each of the three persons or common to all.

1.1 Proper to Each Person

The actions proper to each person were those internal, incommunicable actions of God:

1. To beget: This belongs solely to the Father, who is neither made, nor created, nor begotten by any.

2. To be begotten: This belongs solely to the Son, who is of the Father alone, not made, nor created, but begotten.

3. To proceed from both: This belongs solely to the Holy Ghost, who is of the Father and the Son, neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

These actions of God existed in that eternity before all worlds: the Father was begetting the Son, the Son was begotten of the Father, and the Holy Ghost was proceeding from both the Father and the Son. Were these actions dormant during all that eternity? By no means. These are called internal actions, and they are permanent.

As the sun always begets its beams, and both sun and beams send forth their heat, so from all eternity the Father has begotten, does now beget, and will forever beget the Son. Likewise, the Father and the Son have ever aspired and breathed forth the Holy Ghost, and will do so for all eternity. Therefore, Origen rightly says, “Our Jesus is the brightness of God's glory.” The brightness of glory is not begotten once and then ceases, but as often as the glory rises, so does the brightness spring forth. “Before the hills, I was brought forth.” Some translate it as ante colles generat (before the mountains, He begets me), rather than generavit me (He begot me). Surely the Son of God is ever being begotten, and the Holy Spirit is ever proceeding.

1.2 Common to the Three Persons

The actions common to the three persons in that eternity were these internal actions wherein they communed with one another:

1. Mutual indwelling: Each person was in the other and possessed the other. The Father remained with the Son, the Son with the Father, and the Holy Ghost was in and with them both. As it is written: “The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old” (Proverbs 8:22); “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God” (John 1:1); and “I am in the Father, and the Father in me” (John 14:10).

2. Mutual glorification: Each person glorified the other. The Father glorified the Son, the Son glorified the Father, and the Holy Ghost glorified both the Father and the Son. As Christ prayed: “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was” (John 17:5).

3. Mutual delight: Each person delighted in the other. The Father delighted in the Son, the Son delighted in the Father, and the Holy Ghost delighted in them both. As it is written: “Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him” (Proverbs 8:30).

The original language here indicates delights, suggesting that the Son was a variety of delights to His Father. The phrase “rejoicing always before him” conveys a metaphorical image, akin to children playfully sporting before their parents. O, consider how the Father and the Son rejoiced in one another’s fellowship! See how they spent that vast eternity before the creation, rejoicing and delighting in each other.

2. God’s Work in Eternity Before Creation

Consider this, O my soul. Perhaps you have felt a curiosity to know what God was doing before the creation. Be sober and satisfied with this knowledge: God spent that eternity delighting in His Son. This was His work—to find His joy and pleasure in Jesus. He desired no greater delight than the company and contemplation of His Son. Twice, during Christ’s earthly ministry, God declared this delight from heaven, saying: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

1. The first declaration was at Christ’s baptism: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

2. The second was at His transfiguration: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matthew 17:5).

2. Some Other Things God Was Doing in Relation to His Creatures

These will be considered in greater detail shortly, but let this suffice for now. As God and Christ rejoiced in the mutual delight of one another without any communication of this joy to their creatures, so in the next verse, we find them rejoicing in the salvation of men: “And my delights were with the sons of men.” Amid these thoughts, O my soul, consider this: that God from all eternity should delight in thy salvation! This reveals the depth of God’s heart and desire to save thy soul.

1. Delights arise from the strongest and most cherished desires; men are pleased with many things in which they do not delight.

2. God and Christ are mentioned as delighting in this work of salvation above all their other works—not in angels, not in the world, nor in anything within it.

3. This delight is mentioned immediately after their delight in one another.

4. This delight existed even beforehand, while God’s heart was only in the expectation and His mind was laying the plan for thy salvation.

All these points underscore how great this matter was in God’s esteem and how deeply His heart was set on it, even from everlasting. O, let these thoughts sink into thy consideration.

Consider Jesus in His Relation to Us

Ponder Him in that great transaction between God and Himself for our salvation. To direct thy thoughts and dwell here, consider the following:

1. The Project

The great God, entertaining thoughts within Himself to communicate His essence beyond His everlasting aloneness, devised this plan: all that He would do in this respect should be “to the praise of the glory of His grace.” O my soul, meditate and muse on this divine plot, summarised by the Apostle in just a few words—words that deserve thy careful attention. These words encapsulate:

1. The Praise: The expression of reverent respect, high esteem, and strong admiration, whether by word, deed, or gesture.

2. The Glory: The essence of God’s glorious being. Sometimes we read of “the glory of His power”—His glorious essence manifest in omnipotence. At other times, we read of “the glory of His majesty”—His glorious essence in sovereign splendour. Here, however, we read of “the glory of His grace”—His glorious essence in mercy and favour.

3. Of His Grace: Mercy and grace both flow from love, but they differ in focus. Mercy is love aiding the miserable; grace is love bestowing good freely and without merit.

This, then, is the great design God carried out from eternity: that the glorious essence of His free love and grace should be specially manifested to His saints so they might admire it, esteem it, honour it, and sound forth its praises. All other designs of God are subordinate to this one.

Some enumerate three great designs in God’s self-communication:

1. The Glory of His Saints: To this end, He created heaven and earth, making His saints lords over all: “All things are yours.”

2. The Glory of Christ: To this end, He made the saints and gave them to Christ: “All things are yours, and ye are Christ’s.” At the last day, the Apostle declares, Christ will “come to be glorified in His saints and admired in all them that believe.”

3. The Glory of God Himself: He made all things for Himself: “Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth, even every one that is called by my name; for I have created him for my glory.”

This is God’s ultimate design, to which all others are subordinate. Mark the sequence: “All things are yours, and ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” As a builder lays a foundation and raises the structure for a house’s ultimate purpose—a habitation—so God’s works aim at the ultimate end: His own glory.

2. The Counsels of God

Consider the counsels of God concerning thy salvation. “He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will” (Ephesians 1:11). With Him is both counsel and understanding. This counsel, as we have seen, revolved primarily around reconciling the riches of His grace with the demands of His justice.

O my soul, consider this: thy sin placed all the attributes of God in apparent conflict. This necessitated that great and mighty counsel: how God might display His love and goodness while satisfying His truth and justice. At last, divine wisdom found a glorious and wondrous expedient: the Lord Jesus Christ. Is not this what the Apostle means? “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins” (Romans 3:25).

Ponder these words carefully. God did not set forth Christ as a propitiation merely to declare His mercy in forgiving sins. Is there not more than mercy in the forgiveness of sins? Yes, there is also righteousness. For this reason, God set forth Christ as a propitiation: “to declare His righteousness.” Note the repetition: “To declare, I say, His righteousness; that He might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” Not that He might be merciful alone, but that He might be just in justifying those who believe in Jesus.

This passage perplexed Luther greatly. He prayed much before understanding its true meaning.

The Great Mystery of the Gospel

This is the great mystery of the Gospel; no wonder a poor man could not grasp it. This is what set the infinite wisdom of God to work from all eternity: how to find a way to save sinners and remain infinitely righteous at the same time.

Yet, O my soul, consider further: not only is the mercy of God glorified in this way, but His justice is exalted, even more so than if the sinner were eternally damned. This can be demonstrated as follows:

1. The Glory of God’s Justice in Christ

When God appointed His Son as a surety and charged Him with our debts to satisfy His justice, He did not spare Him even the smallest token of punishment—not the least degree. In this, the Lord demonstrated a stronger love for justice than if He had condemned ten thousand, thousand creatures. Consider:

Suppose a malefactor stands before a judge who commands satisfaction to the law without sparing the guilty party. This shows the judge’s commitment to justice. But if the judge’s own son is the offender, and it is evident before the whole nation that the judge will not spare his son, the judge now honours justice far more than in condemning a thousand others.

Similarly, when the Lord casts many thousands into hell to be tormented forever, it demonstrates His love for justice. But when His own Son takes our sins upon Himself and God does not spare Him (“He spared not his own Son”), this reveals His love for righteousness even more than if He had condemned the whole world.

2. God’s Justice Fully Satisfied in Christ

Suppose a sinner reconciled to God had instead been eternally damned. In that case, the justice of God would have been satisfied but never fully satisfied. In contrast, through the way God has devised to save a sinner, His justice is not only satisfied but fully appeased—He has enough.

Consider:

If a man owes a creditor £100,000 but can only pay a penny a day, the creditor may throw him in prison until the debt is paid. Although the creditor would receive something each day, the debt would never be fully repaid in the man’s lifetime. Now, if another rich man steps in and pays the full £100,000 at once, the creditor is immediately satisfied.

This illustrates the difference between God satisfying His justice upon sinners and upon Jesus Christ. When God exacts the debt of punishment from the sinner for failing to pay the debt of obedience, the sinner is cast into eternal prison. The sinner can only pay a “penny” a day, and so the punishment continues eternally because the debt can never be fully paid.

But when Jesus Christ comes and pays the full debt at once, God’s justice is satisfied. Justice declares, “I have enough, I am satisfied.” Surely this glorifies God’s justice far more!

These were the counsels of God from all eternity—how He could display His love and goodness while satisfying His truth and justice.

O my soul, consider and marvel! Jesus Christ was the divine solution. Through Him, not only is God’s mercy exalted, but His justice is even more glorified in thy salvation than it could have been in thy damnation.

3. The Foreknowledge of God

Consider the foreknowledge of God. From everlasting, He knew whom He would set apart for life and salvation. Every saint of God, from the first to the last, was present before Him, and He beheld them in His beloved Christ.

Before there was a world, a man, or any creature in it, He foreknew Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, all the patriarchs, the prophets, the apostles, the disciples of Christ, and every believer in Christ.

And O my soul, if thou art one of God’s elect, He foreknew thee with a knowledge of love and approval. He had thee in His eye and His heart. Just as He had thoughts of Jacob before he was born or had done either good or evil, so too did He have thoughts of thee.

Be assured, the Lord works nothing without prevision and foreknowledge. A wise builder does not construct a house without first envisioning its frame, and the Psalmist tells us that God’s eyes saw our unformed substance: “In Thy book were written all the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

He knew thee with a singular love. He embraced thee in His eternal love, as it is written: “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” This love may not have been actively bestowed until its due time, but it was prepared for thee from all eternity. Hence, it is called an everlasting love: “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”

The Depth of Divine Love

O, muse, meditate, and ponder this love! It contains these elements:

1. Eternal Goodwill: The love of God toward His elect is His everlasting goodwill to show them mercy, do them good, and save their souls. Hence, the angels sang at Christ’s birth: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

2. Eternal Delight: God’s greatest delight has always been to communicate Himself—first to His Son, and then to His saints. Such delight does He take in showing mercy to His saints that He was well pleased with the death of His Son as a means of accomplishing it. Though one might think the death of Christ would be most abhorrent to God, the Scripture declares: “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him.” This was the way to pour out His grace upon His saints, and so, despite the cost, He was pleased with it.

3. Foreknowledge and Approbation of All Effects of His Love: This includes both temporal blessings in this life and eternal blessings in the life to come. As John writes: “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.”

O my soul, pause and reflect. That God should foreknow thee from all eternity with a knowledge of love and approval—this is a wonder!

“Oh, the depth of the riches of His grace! For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.”

4. Consider the Purpose of God Concerning Thy Salvation

“God hath not appointed (or purposed) us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” Just as, when we will to do something, there follows a settled purpose in the mind to accomplish it, so when God has loved some to life, He has a settled purpose to bring them to it: “That the purpose of God according to election might stand.” This reflects God’s stability, constancy, and unwavering resolve in saving souls.

There is much inconstancy and fickleness in human love, whether it be the love of a man or a woman, but God’s love for His people is steadfast. “As the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.” Not only does God rejoice in this way, but He shall continue to rejoice over thee eternally. God’s purposes are unalterable. The love of Christ, even after thousands of years, remains as fervent as the love of a bridegroom on his wedding day. Indeed, such love is ordinarily most ardent and evident then, and so it is with Christ’s love—it is ever hot, unwavering, and steadfast. There is no moment in time, from eternity to eternity, in which God does not rejoice over His saints as a bridegroom over his bride. Not merely as a husband over a wife, but as a bridegroom over his bride. Of this purpose of God, we may truly say: “As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.”

O my soul, muse and meditate upon this purpose of God, and by consequence, upon “the sure mercies of David.” It may not always feel equally sure to thee; just as the shining of the sun is not always equally visible in its effects, so the love of God may not always appear as gloriously. Yet the sun keeps its steady course. What though it be sometimes clouded? What though it shine not so brightly as at high noon? Still, “the purpose of God according to election must stand.” Not all the devils in hell can frustrate God’s purpose concerning even one soul. “This is the Father’s will which hath sent me,” saith Christ, “that of all which He hath given me, I should lose none.”

5. Consider God’s Decree Concerning Thy Soul’s Salvation and the Means to It

As the purpose of God, so the decree of God speaks to the stability and certainty of what is decreed. “The foundation of God standeth sure.” That is, the decree of God concerning man’s salvation is unchangeable.

If the laws of the Medes and Persians were so absolute that they could not be reversed, how much less can the decrees of God be altered? No one who is not elected can become elected, and no one who is elected can possibly be damned. “My sheep hear my voice,” saith Christ, “and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

This must necessarily be so, for God’s decree is grounded in His eternal and unchangeable will. Hence, we affirm that there is a specific number of the elect, known only to God, which can neither be increased nor diminished. “I know whom I have chosen,” saith Christ.

Yet, O my soul, thou canst not infer from this that thou mayest live in security. For in this decree, God has joined the end with the means, and no man can separate them. If thou art not godly, thou canst never expect to be happy. God’s decree of predestination encompasses both the gift of grace and the gift of glory.

6. Consider the Covenant Struck Between God and Christ for Thy Salvation

If thou wouldst desire to know the very articles of this covenant, proceed then, and take Scripture along with thee. Begin by observing, meditating upon, and considering these particulars on God’s part:

The Covenant Between God the Father and God the Son

1. Designation of Christ to the Office of Mediator

From all eternity, Christ was designated and appointed to the office of Mediator. He is said to be sealed by the Father: “For Him hath God the Father sealed.” He is chosen by the Father: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth.”

2. The Father’s Commandment to the Son

The Father gave commandments to the Son, to which He must submit and obey.

- First, there was a command concerning what He should teach as the Prophet of the Church: “For I have not spoken of myself,” saith Christ, “but the Father which sent me, He gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.”

- Secondly, there was a command to lay down His life for those given to Him: “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

3. The Father’s Promises to the Son

The Father covenanted with the Son, promising several things:

- The Spirit in abundance: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; I have put my Spirit upon Him, and He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.” Also: “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him: the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”

- Assistance in the work of redemption: “I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thy hand.” This means: “I will strengthen thee with my power, so that thou shalt not fail nor be discouraged till thou hast set judgment upon the earth.”

- Blessed success: “He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hands. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied.” Just as a woman, despite her pains in labour, rejoices when she sees her child, so Christ, after His suffering, shall rejoice to see many believe in His name.

- Everlasting glory for Himself and His redeemed ones: To Christ, there is a promise of glory: “I have glorified thee.” To His members, there is a promise of glory: “It is my Father’s pleasure to give you the kingdom.” This eternal glory was one of the secrets of God, revealed by Christ: “Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory.”

The Articles of the Covenant on Christ’s Part

1. Acceptance of the Office

Christ did not take the office of Mediator upon Himself; the Father called Him to it, and the Son accepted it: “Christ glorified not Himself to be made a high priest, but He that said unto Him, ‘Thou art my Son; today have I begotten thee.’” To this, Christ responded: “Lo, I come.”

2. Dependence Upon the Father for Help

Christ promised to depend and trust upon the Father: “And again, I will put my trust in Him.” Isaiah depicts Christ as seeking help from the Father: “For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded.” Also: “Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me?”

3. Submission to the Father’s Will

Christ covenanted to submit to the Father’s will, bearing reproaches and injuries, and laying down His life for those given to Him: “The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious; neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting.” For this reason, Christ said: “My Father loveth me, because I lay down my life.” After fulfilling His covenant, Christ declared: “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”

4. Expectation of Promised Glory

Christ looked forward to the promised glory for Himself and His members: “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” Concerning His disciples, He prayed: “Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory.”

Reflection on the Covenant

O my soul, with what delight mayest thou meditate on these articles of the covenant? What! That God should enter into such a covenant with His Son for thy eternal good? That He should appoint the second person of the Trinity as the head of this covenant on thy behalf? What a mercy this is! O muse on this a thousand times over: the hope of eternal life, promised by God who cannot lie, before the world began.

If thy soul questions what promise was made before the world began, and to whom, consider this: the promise was made to the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. There was a blessed transaction between the Father and the Son for thy everlasting good, and upon that transaction rests all thy hope and salvation.

This is worthy of thy deep, serious, and reverent meditation.

SECTION III: Desiring After Jesus in That Respect

3. We must desire after Jesus, carrying on the great work of our salvation in that eternity. It is not enough to know and consider; we must also desire. Desire is a longing for the attainment of some good that we do not yet enjoy but imagine to be fitting for us. In this respect, we cannot desire Jesus to carry on the work of our salvation as He did before the world began, for that work is already perfectly accomplished. However, we may desire the following:

4. The manifestation of that work in us.

5. God and Christ, the planners and actors of that great work for us.

6. The full execution of that work, as God effectually works in time according to His decrees before time.

1. Desiring the Manifestation of This Work in Us

We have heard of marvellous, excellent, and glorious things accomplished by Jesus Christ for His saints from all eternity. Oh, what desires should arise in us to know that we are among that number! When I hear and consider such a project, such counsels, such love, such purpose, such decrees, and such a covenant between God and Christ for the salvation of souls—and withal, that this care extends only to a few in comparison—does this not sharpen my desire? Does it not make me cry, “Oh, that these loves were mine! How happy would I be if I had a share in these eternal thoughts of God!”

Surely, we should not hear of such divine transactions without our hearts being stirred with infinite longing. We should pant after assurance, constantly yearning, “What is truth? Who is Christ? What did Christ do for me before I existed, before the world was?” Oh, that I might know Him, that I might enjoy Him, that I might be assured He had even one good thought of me in that eternity!

Christians, if you have any part in these transactions, sooner or later you will feel these desires. Nay, if my sinful heart does not deceive me, even now, upon considering these things, I feel myself another creature in my desires. Tell me, you who have taken a full view of God and Christ and the wonders of eternity—do you not feel a change in your affections? Are the world, worldly pleasures, worldly profits, and worldly honours not diminished in value—yea, tenfold? Have they not lost their price?

Would you not rather be assured that your names are written in the book of life than possess the whole world? Would you not prefer this assurance even to having all the devils in hell subject to your commands? If these revelations stir nothing in your heart, if your affections remain fixed on the world and its vanities, and if the eternal workings of God’s love have no power over you, then you are in a very sad condition.

David’s wish was, “Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.” He longed for the manifestation of God’s eternal love. One smile of that countenance, reflecting the love God had for him before the world began, brought more gladness to his heart than all the abundance of the world’s corn and wine could ever provide.

2. Desiring After God and Christ, the Planners and Actors of That Great Work

The Gospel reveals this truth: that before creation, God and Christ were occupied with our eternal good. Especially Christ, who came out of the bosom of the Father and brought the treasures of His Father’s counsel to the world, has displayed such unparalleled love for mankind. How, then, should our desires not rise toward God in Christ?

“Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.” A proper view of Christ’s eternal workings stirs a desire for Christ above all else. The heart thirsts for nothing but Him, who is all in all—all power, all love, all holiness, all happiness. Speak to such a soul of the world, of gold, or of glory, and it will reply, “What are these? The world is dung, gold is dung, glory is dung—all is but loss and dung compared to the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.”

The soul cries, “Give me God and Christ, or I die. My desires are toward Him who has done all this for me.” Is this not the refrain at the end of every thought: “Would Christ were mine!”

Perhaps you hear the worldlings talk of wealth, saying, “Such a one has grown rich overnight. Yesterday he was as poor as Lazarus, but today he is like the rich man, clothed in purple and fine linen, faring sumptuously.” Yet does not your heart reply, “Would Christ were mine, for then I would have gained far more than he!”

O poor soul, do you not gasp for Christ with your deepest breath? When you read of the eternal generation of the Son of God—the time and manner of His begetting, the mutual kindness and love between the Begetter and the Begotten—do you not pant and sigh for Jesus?

Can you read of Christ’s acts and decrees concerning yourself? Can you turn over the many pages of God’s projects, counsels, foreknowledge, purpose, decrees, and covenant for your soul’s happiness without being moved? With every discovery of His eternal love, do you not long to cry out with David:

“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God. O when shall I come and appear before God?”

3. The Fruits of God’s Spirit in These Desires

O my soul, if thou hast these pantings, thirstings, and breathings after God and Christ, take comfort. These are the fruits of God’s Spirit, for it is the Spirit of the Lord Jesus who inspires such sighs and groans within thee. He sighs in thee and with thee, one for another and one with another.

O therefore, look unto Jesus. Look, sigh, and desire after Him with all thy heart.

3. We May and Must Desire the Full and Utmost Execution of God’s Work

We must desire the full and utmost execution whereby God effectually works in time according to all His workings or decrees before time. God, who purposed and decreed from all eternity, has not yet completed the full execution of His purpose or decree. That will only be realised in the after-eternity, in the world without end. Indeed, some part is being fulfilled now, but the main, the great part, is yet to come.

Therefore, as we discern the plot of God’s eternal design, let us desire its full accomplishment. Let us long for the endless glory to which we were predestined before the foundation of the world. It was Paul’s desire “to be dissolved and to be with Christ.” As men burdened, so too should we desire and groan after the enjoyment of God in the world to come.

O my soul, that thou wert cast in the Apostle’s mould! That thy affections were set on the wing, ready to take flight and steer their course towards heaven! Would that thou mightest say, “Yonder is the glorious house, the goodly building, made without hands, which God decreed from all eternity to be my home, my rest, my dwelling place forever. And in yonder stately fabric are many heavenly inhabitants who have gone before me. There are the angels, and there are all the souls of the saints who, from Adam to this day, have departed from this sinful world. Yea, there is Jesus, the Son of God. And there is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. If I am predestinated to this fellowship, Lord, when shall I complete the journey through the means to arrive at this end?

O my end! Where is my end? Where is my Lord, my God, my Comforter? Where is my rest? Where is my end? I cannot find rest without my end. Therefore, come, Lord Jesus, come quickly; be like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of spices!”

Christians, Why Are We Not Always Longing for Glory?

Christians, why are your spirits not always breathing after the glory to which you are predestined? Why do you not long for the full enjoyment of God’s promises, the utmost execution of His decrees? Why are your hearts, souls, and spirits not already in heaven?

Surely your closest relations are there. Your Father is there. Your elder brother is there. Many of your other younger brethren are there too—I dare say, most of them. Again, your interest is there; your eternal estate is there, if you truly believe.

Where, then, should your hearts be but where your treasure is?

Come, then. Tune the desires of your soul. Set your affections on things above, especially on that one great object of love, Jesus Christ.

Looking unto Jesus.

SECTION IV: Hoping in Jesus in That Respect

4. We must hope in Jesus, as carrying on the great work of our salvation for us in that eternity. It is not enough to know, consider, and desire; we must also hope and maintain our hope regarding our personal interest in Him.

Hope is a longing for and expectation of some future good, whether probable or certain. The critical question is this: Does the salvation, concerning which the great transaction occurred between God and Christ, belong to me? What are the grounds and foundations upon which my hope is built?

Some, however, gravely misuse this doctrine, saying: “If God appointed me to salvation before all worlds, then I may live as I please. I need not hear, pray, confer, or perform any holy duty, for I am sure I shall be saved.” Such reasoning is not only erroneous but utterly destructive, for it removes all grounds for hope.

It is true that God’s decrees are unchangeable, but they do not lead to such presumptuous conclusions. You might as well argue, “The Lord has appointed me to live until a certain time, and until then I cannot die, so I need no food, drink, or clothing.” Ah, such foolish, devilish reasoning! God’s decree includes the means as well as the end. Whom God decreed to save, He also decreed to call, justify, and sanctify before He saves them.

O my soul, examine the grounds upon which thy hope is built. If those grounds are weak, thy hope will be weak. But if they are strong, thy hope will be firm, certain, and prudent.

The Grounds of Hope

In seeking the grounds of thy hope, do not ask, “Who shall ascend into heaven?” or, “Who shall descend into the deep?” Do not attempt to look into heaven itself to see the records of eternity or to read thy name in the book of life. Instead, search for the fruits and effects of election, as revealed in thy life:

1. The Power of God’s Word

If thou art included in God’s decree for salvation, then sooner or later God will cause the power of His Word to work with authority and conviction upon thy conscience:

“Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God, for our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power.”

The Apostle speaks of others here, knowing they were elected of God. This knowledge could have come from his judgment of charity or a spirit of discernment, a gift vouchsafed to some in the Apostles’ times. But how did he come to this assurance? Through this glorious effect: “Our gospel came not in word only, but also in power.”

O, it is worth considering how powerfully the preached Word has penetrated thy heart. Does it convince thee, humble thee, soften thee? If so, this is evidence that thou belongest to God. When the Word comes in power, it is more than the speech of man or a human oration; it is a divine force. It will feel like fire in thy bones, a two-edged sword in the secret places of thy heart. Thou wilt cry out, “Verily, God is here!” Thy soul will feel the conviction, the melting, and the transforming power within.

2. Effectual Calling

If God hath ordained thee to salvation, then sooner or later He will effectually call thee:

“Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called.”

This calling draws the soul from sin and from the world to Christ. It enables the soul to follow Him, just as Matthew arose and followed Christ when he was called.

Predestination and effectual calling are linked together in Paul’s golden chain: “We are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

All those who belong to God’s election are, at some point, effectually called by His Word and Spirit. This must be so, for as God made a distinction between His elect and others before the foundation of the world, and as He will make a final distinction after the end of the world, so He also distinguishes them during their lives by an inward, effectual, and operative calling. They become people of different minds, wills, affections, and conversations. They are called from darkness into light and from the power of Satan unto God:

“Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.”

3. Saving Faith

If thou art chosen for salvation, then sooner or later thou shalt possess true, soul-saving, justifying faith:

“As many as were ordained to eternal life believed.”

When God purposes to bring His people to Himself, He either brings them to the means or the means to them. Those who belong to the election of grace believe.

O my soul, dost thou have this saving faith? Not a fancied faith, not a dead or easy faith, but a faith wrought by the Word and Spirit with power? This is a faith that could never have been given or received apart from the Spirit of God.

If this faith is in thee, it is a ground for thy hope, for “Whom He calls, He justifies.” And “We are justified by faith.”

It is not the essence of faith itself that justifies, but faith justifies instrumentally, in that it lays hold of that which does justify—the righteousness of Christ Jesus.

4. If Thou Art Decreed for Salvation

If thou art decreed for salvation, then sooner or later the Lord will beget and increase in thee grace, holiness, and sanctification: “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit.” God predestinates His people unto holiness: “He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him.”

If God has appointed thee to eternal life, He has also appointed thee here, in this world, to live a holy and gracious life. No sanctification, no election; no grace, no glory. Thou art to be a precious jewel here before God will make thee up at that great day. Observe the chain in Romans 8:29: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined; whom He predestined, He also called; whom He called, He also justified; and whom He justified, He also glorified.”

If thou art sanctified with the divine nature—where glory is begun—then thou art justified. If justified, then thou hast been called according to purpose. If called, then thou hast been predestined, and if predestined, then thou wast foreknown as one whom God would choose for the end, even immortal and eternal glory.

5. If Thou Art Appointed and Prepared for Glory

If thou art appointed and prepared for glory, then God will give thee a thankful heart for so great a mercy. Just as it is impossible to hold back the sea, so too, when thou art sensible of God’s everlasting love, thy heart will overflow with gratitude.

See how Paul praises God for the election of himself and others: “After I heard of your faith and love, I cease not to give thanks.” Again: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.”

What glorious triumphs Paul makes, in the person of all the elect, over every conceivable enemy! He challenges every adversary to show its strength, and why? Because God has elected them, and nothing can separate them from His unchangeable love. This is what begets his thanksgiving: “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

O my soul, how is thy heart affected with praise and thankfulness in this matter? He that bestows great things expects a great return of thanks—especially when thanksgiving is all thou canst offer in return.

6. If God’s Eternal Plans Concern Thy Soul’s Happiness

If the project, counsel, love, purpose, decree, and covenant of God with Christ concern thee and thy soul’s happiness, then God will crown thee with perseverance and steadfastness in the way of grace. Thou shalt continue in the path wherein thou wast first set. Final apostasy and total backsliding from the ways of God can never befall those who are chosen:

“They went out from us, but they were not of us,” said the Apostle.

“If it were possible, they would deceive the very elect,” said Christ.

But it is impossible. Why? “I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall never depart from me.”

Oh, what a blessed mercy this is! In a world full of hours of temptation, blustering storms, and tempests capable of uprooting even the most deeply rooted, it is the immortal seed of God that preserves His elect.

This sign is sure if any of the preceding marks belong to thee. Yet, this perseverance cannot be fully sealed until the end of thy life.

Reflection: Are These the Grounds of Thy Hope?

Come now, O my soul, are these the grounds of thy hope?

- Has God’s Word come with power upon thy heart?

- Has the Lord so effectually called thee that thou hast left all to follow Christ?

- Dost thou believe on the Lord Jesus for life and salvation?

- Art thou holy? Is thy life holy? Dost thou walk exactly as the grace of God, which bringeth salvation, teacheth?

- Canst thou, with an enlarged heart, amplify the love and grace of God in thy election?

Surely these effects are the very fuel of hope. They are the blessed and clear evidences of thy soul’s election. Therefore, hope well, and take strong consolation. It is as clear as the sun that God hath predestinated thee to life, that thy name is written in the book of life, and that none in heaven, on earth, or in hell shall ever blot it out.

Away with all sad, dejected thoughts! Look unto Jesus. Hope in Christ, knowing that the very salvation concerning which the great transaction was made between God and Christ belongs even to thee.

And one day, thou shalt see it and enjoy its happiness for all eternity.

SECTION V: Believing in Jesus in That Respect

5. We must believe in Jesus as carrying on that great work of salvation for us in that eternity. It is not enough to know, consider, desire, and hope; we must also believe. Faith is the means by which we personally apply all the ancient and future workings of God to ourselves, as if they were present realities.

There is a difference between hope and faith. Hope regards what the Word promises (res verbi), while faith respects the Word itself (verbum rei). Hope focuses on the mercy and goodness of the promise; faith fixes upon the authority and truth of the Promiser. Hope looks to the future, while faith considers the object as present. Both apply personally to the believer, but hope waits expectantly, while faith enjoys presently.

Thus, faith is called “the substance of things hoped for,” because it gives confidence in things hoped for, as if they were already in hand. Faith grants the soul a present interest in God, in Christ, and in the glorious truths of the Gospel, even eternal life itself.

Faith is an appropriating, applying, and uniting grace. It is one thing to see God and to recognise His power, but it is another to see God in His glory as my God. It is one thing to behold His majesty, greatness, and goodness, and another to realise that these are blessings my soul has an interest in. To understand how the eternal counsels of God have worked for my happiness—this is the nature of faith.

Here lies the sweetness of faith: it believes not only that Christ is a Saviour, but that He is my Saviour; not only that Christ is righteousness, but that He is my righteousness. Thus, Martin Luther affirmed that the sweetness of Christianity lies in the possessive pronouns: “My Lord and my God.” So the Apostle declares: “I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

O My Soul, Believe for Thyself

Believe and be confident that those eternal projects, counsels, love, purposes, decrees, and covenants between God and Christ were all for thee. Hast thou not a promise? Nay, was there not a promise made before the world began? And was that not the promise of eternal life?

Consider the words of Scripture: “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” Here is a promise, a promise of eternal life, made by God who cannot lie, and made before there was a world or any man in it.

If thou ask, “To whom was this promise made?” Sweet soul, it was made to Christ on thy behalf. Many promises in Scripture are addressed more immediately to thee, but this is the grand promise. All the other promises are but streams flowing from that great fountain—the promise made by God the Father to His Son before the foundation of the world.

When the Soul Struggles to Believe

O cries the soul, “I cannot believe! Is it possible that God, in His eternity, could have thought of me? Could He, before I was born or had done any good or evil, think of me? Could He, in these last times, consider someone so insignificant—the least of saints, the greatest of sinners, less than the least of all God’s mercies? Could the great God, the Majesty of heaven and earth, have thought of me? Could He have devised a project, counselled within Himself, and purposed a decree for my salvation? Could He have entered into a covenant with His Son for such a one as me?”

“I cannot believe it! Alas, what am I to God? What need hath God of me? If all the nations of the earth are to Him but as a drop in a bucket and as the small dust of the balance, then what a mere speck am I in that drop, or an atom in that dust? Is it likely that the greatness, goodness, power, and wisdom of God, and His eternal counsels, would work for me—to make me glorious, blessed, and happy? To make me one with Himself, one with His Son, and one with His Spirit?

“What care do I take for every speck of dust on the earth or every grain of sand on the seashore—though they are my fellow creatures? There is a thousandfold greater disproportion between God and me. Would God truly care for me before I was, or before the world was? Would He busy Himself and His Son for such a worthless, wretched worm as I am? Would He decree that Christ should come from the Father for me, to be my Redeemer, my Jesus, my Saviour? I cannot, I dare not, I will not believe.”

O Stay My Soul; Be Not Faithless, but Believing

O stay my soul; be not faithless, but believing. I will take thy argument in pieces:

1. Thou sayest, “Hath God any thoughts of me?” Yes, saith God, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil.” Before the world was, His thoughts and delights were with the sons of men.

2. Thou sayest, “I have no thoughts or care for my fellow creatures, such as the dust, the sand, or the atoms of the earth; and what then?” God answers, “My thoughts are not as your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

What if thou hast no thoughts or care for smaller creatures? Yet God extends His thoughts, care, and providence not only to thee, but even to them. Neither can a sparrow fall to the ground, nor a hair from thy head, nor a leaf from a tree, without the providence of our heavenly Father.

3. Thou sayest, “I dare not believe. I am astonished and confounded at these thoughts of God's eternal love; it is too high for me. I cannot believe it.” To this I reply: herein thou sayest something true. It is indeed a hard thing to believe such great truths in reference to thyself.

But see now how God and Christ stoop and condescend to help thee believe. God places great importance on the hearts of His saints trusting in Him. He accounts Himself dishonoured if they do not believe. Therefore, O my soul, mark how Christ suits Himself to thy weakness. What is it, saith God, that may beget this faith, this confidence, in thy soul? Consider, what do you poor creatures do among yourselves to make things sure between one another?

God’s Actions to Establish Faith

1. We Engage Ourselves by Promise

Thus, saith God: “Poor soul, thou hast my promise—my faithful promise. I have made a promise both to Jews and Gentiles, and thou art one of these two sorts. The promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

Be satisfied with this ground of hope: if thou art called of God, then every promise of eternal life is thine. A thousand promises are scattered throughout the Scriptures, and all of them flow from that grand promise made from all eternity.

It is as if Christ were to say: “Wilt thou have engagement by promise? This was settled long ago. My Father engaged Himself to me before the world began. And since the world began, I have made many promises. Read the Scriptures, and thou wilt find here and there a promise—each one a reflection of that great promise my Father made to me from eternity.”

2. We Write Things Down to Make Them Sure

Thus, saith God: “Thou hast the Scriptures, the Holy Writ—the sacred volumes of truth and life. In them are written the golden lines of many gracious promises. Are they not as stars in the firmament of Scripture? Thou hast my Bible, and in it thou hast many blessed truths. Of all the Scriptures, thou shouldst not part with one of these promises, no, not for the world.”

Martin Luther, observing the many promises in Scripture, said: “The whole of Scripture especially aims at this: that we should not doubt, but rather hope, confide, and believe that God is merciful, kind, patient, and delights in saving our souls.”

3. We Set to Our Seal

Thus, saith God: “Thou hast my seal—the broad seal of heaven, my sacraments, which are the seals of my covenant. And thou hast my privy seal—the seal of my Spirit. Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

4. We Call Witnesses

Thus, saith God: “Thou shalt have witnesses, as many as thou wilt, in heaven and on earth. There are three that bear record in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree in one.”

5. We Confirm with an Oath

Thus, saith God: “I will confirm it by an oath. God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath.”

Though an oath was not strictly necessary, God swore abundantly for thy sake, that thou mightest trust Him fully. And He swore the greatest oath ever made: “I swear by myself,” saith God. He swore by no greater because there is none greater. Why? For the sake of those who are heirs of the promise.

6. We Give a Pledge or Token

Thus, saith God: “I will give thee a pledge, a token, a pawn—and such a one that if thou hadst no more, thou wouldst still be happy. It is the pledge of my Spirit. I will send my Spirit into thy heart, and He shall be a token and earnest of all the good I intend to do for thee forever.”

7. We Provide an Initial Fulfilment

Thus, saith God: “Thou livest in the last times, and thou seest that the greatest part of thy salvation is already accomplished. Before eternity, I promised to send my Son into the world to bear the curse for sin—and if thou believest, for thy sin. This was the greatest work of all eternity.”

Surely, if God would have failed in anything, it would have been in this. It is not so great a task for Him now to bring thee to heaven and save thy soul, as it was to send His Son into the world to be made a curse for sin.

If a man owes thee a thousand pounds and pays nine hundred and ninety-nine, thou wouldst surely think he would not fail in the last pound. God has paid His nine hundred and ninety-nine in sending His Son. All the glory of heaven is but as the last pound in comparison to what He has already done. Therefore, thou mayest well believe that He who has done so much will not leave the rest undone.

Come then, rouse up, O my soul, and believe in thy interest in those eternal transactions between God and Christ. Is there not ground enough here for thy faith? If thou art but called, the promise of God is thine. Or, if thou darest not rely on this promise (which God forbid), thou hast His indenture, His seal, and witnesses of all kinds—both in heaven and on earth.

Yet, if thou still believest not, thou hast His oath, His pledge, and the greatest part of thy salvation already accomplished. Nay, I will tell thee more, poor soul, than this: Christ Himself, from all eternity, has engaged that thou shalt believe. O then, do not challenge Christ’s engagement by refusing the Gospel! Surely, when thou believest, thou makest Christ's word good.

He that believeth not maketh God a liar—and, though in another sense, yet possibly in this: that he frustrates Christ’s undertakings in the covenant. Therefore, believe! Yea, cry out, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief! Increase my faith until I come to full assurance of faith.”

Faith, in this sense, is the very eye of the soul, reading its name written in the Book of Life. It is an apprehension of our particular election. O believe, until thou comest to this fullness of persuasion of God’s love in Christ.

SECTION VI: Of Loving Jesus in That Respect

6. We must love Jesus as carrying on the great work of our salvation in that eternity. This love is the fruit and effect of faith. If once we believe that all these divine designs and eternal transactions were for us—yes, even for us—how can we not love the God and Christ who first and freely loved us? God loved us before we loved Him; indeed, He loved us from eternity, before all worlds. Surely, then, we are bound to love Him first and above all things.

As the diamond forms and fashions the diamond, so love forms and fashions love. Or, as fire converts fuel into fire, so this ancient love of God and Christ ought to ignite our love in return. O Christ! Didst Thou not love us? Who can doubt it when they consider the project, counsel, foreknowledge, purpose, decree, and covenant of God and Christ? Who can doubt it when they reflect on the eternal design of God—that Christ should go out of Himself, suffer an ecstasy through the vehemence of His love, abase His majesty to die for us, so that we might not die but live with Him?

O, how should this not kindle in our hearts the most ardent love for God and Christ? What greater motive to awaken love than being pre-empted by the love and bounty of another? Bernard aptly observes that true righteousness consists in repaying God's love with love, a response enabled only when the Holy Spirit reveals, by faith, God's eternal purpose concerning our salvation.

Hence, the heart is most in tune when it reflects on the eternal love of God in Christ. As David said of Jonathan: “Thou hast been very pleasant to me; thy love to me was wonderful,” so a soul contemplating all the goodness of God from eternity will declare: “Thou hast been very pleasant to me, O God; thy love to me is wonderful.”

O my soul, may you live by faith in these eternal truths, so that you attain the highest fruits of faith: not only to love God and Christ but to love them with a burning, mighty love—a love expressed in vigorous pursuit of Jesus Christ and faithful surrender to God. Let it be a love that creates a delightful vision of God and Christ, fills the heart with cheerfulness, and compels us to extol His praises. In these, the strength of love lies.

A Reflection on Our Weakness in Love

But alas! This should grieve thee—that thou canst not love as fully and warmly as thou art beloved. Christ comes towards thee, skipping like the hart or roe upon the mountains of spices, but thy love creeps like a worm in an unwholesome valley. Even the best affections have moments of faintness; it may be that thy love is cold for the present.

O, but come near this divine fire! Consider how God and Christ have loved thee in all things eternal:

1. His Project to Save Thy Soul

This sprang from His love. Love was the first wheel that set all the eternal works of God in motion. What was God’s great design if not an expression of His love? It was His pleasure to communicate Himself, and love was the source of that communication.

2. The Counsels of God

These were grounded in love. Had not love presided over His counsel, where wouldst thou be? When all the attributes of God deliberated over thy salvation, it was His love in Christ that resolved the question.

3. The Foreknowledge of God

This was foreknowledge of love and approbation. In His eternal love, He embraced thee as His own. “God hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world.” He chose us in Christ, not for Christ, but out of His own good pleasure and free love.

4. The Purpose of God

This was a resolution of love—a steadfast, abiding love. It is a love that no unkindness can alter, for “having loved His own, He loves them to the end.” Indeed, He loves them without end, from everlasting to everlasting.

5. The Decree of God

This was an act of love to ensure that, in time, His grace would be given to His elect, serving as an effectual means to bring them to glory.

6. The Covenant Between God and Christ

This was an agreement of love. God and Christ joined hands to save our souls. “Grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” This grace—the gracious love and favour of God in Christ—was given us before all time.

The Overarching Design of God’s Love

From eternity, God’s greatest design was to showcase the infinite glory and riches of His love in Christ Jesus. No doubt He had other significant designs in His works, but above all, His chief aim was to honour His mercy and glorify the riches of His grace. Without this, He would not have made the world.

And in the world to come, it will be God’s delight to reveal to His saints and angels the heights of excellence and glory that His love and mercy can bestow upon a creature. To all eternity, He will declare to them the marvellous heights to which His love can elevate poor souls. The saints and angels will forever admire, adore, and magnify His name for it.

O my soul, canst thou ponder these things and not love Him dearly who has thus loved thee? Come, stir up the gift that is within thee. If thou art a Christian, thou hast some sparks, though perhaps now hidden under the ashes. Come, rub, stir, and warm thy affections at this fire. Love, like a watch, must be wound up, or it will fall downward. What dost thou? Why standest thou idle in the heat of the day? Christ holds the fire in His hand; it is but looking up and reaching out thy hand to take it from Him. O, take it with both thy hands, and be thankful for it.

Prayer, ejaculation, contemplation, and judicious observation of the Spirit’s season are thy best instruments to kindle this fire of love within thee.

Methinks thy heart should begin to melt. Methinks it should now receive more ready impressions from the object before it. Methinks these eternal works and acts of God and Christ towards thy poor soul should begin to overwhelm thee and set thy heart ablaze, as with coals of juniper.

Why, Lord, is it thus? Was I elected from all eternity in Christ? Was I ordained to a glorious inheritance before there was a world? Was this work to make me happy one of the deep and chief counsels of God? Was this one of the works of His wisdom that He was engaged in before the world began? Was this the great design of God in making the world—and in making heaven, the place of glory—that He might glorify Himself and glorify such a poor wretch as I am?

O then, how can this not mightily inflame my heart with love for God and for Christ? How can I choose but say, as the martyr once did: “Oh, that I had as many lives as I have hairs on my head, to lay them down for Christ!”

Ah, what flames of divine affection, what raptures of zeal, what ravishments of delight, and what ecstasies of obedience can be enough for my blessed God and dearest Redeemer?

SECTION VII: Of Rejoicing in Jesus in That Respect

7. We must rejoice in Jesus, as carrying on that great work of our salvation in that eternity. This joy is a passion arising from the sweetness of the object we enjoy. O my soul, dost thou believe? And art thou now cast into a pang of love? How then can thy joy fail to arise?

As Christ said to the seventy: “In this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven,” so do thou likewise. Rejoice not merely in this—that the world is thine, that riches are thine, or that thou hast subdued men and devils—but rather rejoice that thy name is written in the Book of Life.

O, what a comforting thought this is! That the Father and Christ should transact a bargain from eternity concerning thee by name. Imagine their heavenly discourse, as if they had said: “Father, what shall be given to Thy justice to ransom this one—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Mary, Martha, Hannah, and others?”

And the Father replies: “No more but this: Thou shalt die, My Son, and whosoever believeth in Thee shall live forever.”

Then Christ answers: “I will engage for them. I will enter into bond for such and such a person. Abraham shall believe in time—see, I have written down his name in the Book of Life.”

And who art thou that readest this? Art thou a believer? Dost thou believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? If so, know that Christ has said the same concerning thee. He has entered into a bond for thee and written thy name in the Book of Life.

See the certainty of this in Philippians 4:3: “Thou, Thomas, Andrew, Peter”—Christ knows thee by name, and thy name is written in the Book of Life.

O, go thy way, rejoice, and take strong consolation! Is there not cause? Why, I tell thee, thy name is in the Book of Heaven, and if this might further increase thy joy, know that none in heaven or on earth shall ever blot it out. No, no, poor soul, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

God has decreed thy salvation, and God’s decree shall stand, let men and devils say what they will to the contrary. “The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations.” It is as impossible for God to deny Himself as it is for thee, a believer, to perish. “We are kept,” saith the Apostle, “by the power of God through faith unto salvation.”

Therefore, rejoice! Yes, again I say, rejoice! Raise thy joy to that pitch of triumph where it becomes elevated—elevated so high that it reaches victoriousness and a magnanimous conquest of heart over all things. Say with the Apostle: “What, my name written in the Book of Life? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? Who shall separate me from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate me from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus my Lord.”

SECTION VIII: Of Calling on Jesus in That Respect

8. We must call on Jesus, or on God the Father in and through Jesus. This is also included in "looking," as David says while praying: “Unto Thee do I lift up mine eyes, O Thou that dwellest in the heavens.”

This calling on God, or looking to God, encompasses both prayer and praise.

1. We must pray that all these transactions between God and Christ may be assuredly ours and that God would increasingly clarify our title to them. Yea, and seeing that all good things tending to salvation were prepared for us from eternity, we are therefore to pray—that by prayer we may draw them down from heaven. For, though our evidences may be clear, this must not exclude the use of means. God does not bestow His saving graces on idle or slothful souls. Those who, from the certainty of predestination, presume that prayer is superfluous plainly show that they have no certainty at all.

Aquinas was orthodox in this: the predestinate must pray, because through these effects of predestination, the salvation of souls is most surely established. The same Spirit which bears witness to our spirit that we are His chosen is also the Spirit of prayer and supplication. Therefore, he who believes himself to be one of God’s elect cannot help but pray for the things he believes God has prepared for him before the foundation of the world.

2. We must praise God. What—should God look on us and predestinate us to life? That He should pass by so many on the right hand and on the left, and that I should be one whom the Lord elected? What, such a vile and sinful wretch as I am? Was there ever such love? Was there ever such mercy? May not heaven and earth stand amazed at this?

O, what shall I do to be thankful enough to this dear God? Thou who knowest thy interest in Christ, study praise and thankfulness. Say within thyself, “Who made me to differ from those castaway souls? Alas! We were all framed of the same mould, hewn from the same rock.”

It is recorded of one of the late French kings that, in serious meditation upon his condition as king and ruler of the nation, he said: “Oh, when I was born, a thousand other souls were born in this kingdom with me, and what have I done to God more than they?”

O my soul, what difference is there between thee and the many thousands of reprobates who live in the world with thee today? Nothing, surely nothing, but the free mercy, goodness, and love of God in Jesus Christ.

O then, praise this God! Yea, sound forth the praise of the glory of His grace. Remember, that was God’s design, and that is thy duty.

SECTION IX: On Conforming to Jesus in That Respect

2. We must conform to Jesus. We must fix our eyes on Jesus for our imitation—that is also the meaning of this "looking" in the text. With respect to our predestination, the Apostle speaks expressly: “He did predestinate us to be conformed to the image of His Son.” This is one end of predestination and one purpose of looking unto Jesus; indeed, it is included in it. A single look at Jesus holds power to conform us to His image. “We are changed by beholding,” saith the Apostle.

Oh, when I see God’s love in Christ extended to me from all eternity, how can this fail to stir my soul to be like Jesus Christ? Where there is dependence, there is a desire to imitate, even among men. How much more should I, considering my dependence on God in Christ, desire to be like Him in disposition?

But what is this image of Christ to which we must conform? I answer: holiness and happiness. However, as the latter is our reward and the former is our duty, let us fix our eyes primarily on holiness.

What does this entail? I answer: it lies in the resemblance, likeness, and conformity to Christ in all the passages forementioned. In every one of these, we must conform to Christ. For example—

1. Christ is the Son of God; so must we be God's sons. “As many as received Him, to them He gave power to become the sons of God.” What duty lies upon us in this respect! “If I be your Father, where is mine honour? And if ye call on the Father, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.” God expects more honour, fear, reverence, duty, and obedience from a son than from the rabble of the world. If thou art God's son, thy sins offend Him more than the sins of all the reprobates in the world. Thy sins are not mere transgressions of the law but are committed against the mercy, bounty, and goodness of God vouchsafed unto thee. Thy sins carry a world of unthankfulness with them, and how should God not visit such ingratitude? “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore, I will visit you for all your iniquities.” O think on this, you who are God's sons, and conform to Christ, for He was an obedient Son.

2. Christ, the Son of God, delights in the Father and in the sons of men. So must we delight in the Father and in His children. “Delight thyself in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of thy heart.” “The saints that are on the earth, they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight,” saith David. It is said of Dr Taylor that, being in prison, he could delight in God. He rejoiced that he came to prison because there he found acquaintance with that “angel of God,” as he called Mr Bradford. O, this is heaven on earth! Not only is God a sweet object of delight, but His saints are also. True saints are savoury in their discourse, exemplary in their duties, and profitable in their society. How, then, should we not delight in them?

3. God and Christ laid this eternal plan to the praise of the glory of His grace. So must we make this the end of all our actions. Whether we eat, drink, or whatsoever we do, we must do all to the glory of God. Especially when we receive any spiritual good, we must return all glory to His grace. “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,” said Daniel, “for wisdom and might are His.” Christians, if you feel grace in your hearts, acknowledge it to Christ. He subdues lusts, heals wounds, restores broken bones, and brings rejoicing. Therefore, let Him have the glory of all.

4. God and Christ counselled together for our salvation. There was a great conflict in the attributes of God—justice and mercy were at odds until the wisdom of God devised that glorious and wonderful solution, Jesus Christ. Similarly, we must counsel about our salvation. The flesh and spirit within us draw in opposite directions: the flesh pulls us hellward, and the spirit heavenward. Let us call upon heavenly wisdom to resolve this conflict. Its voice is clear: “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.” If we would be heavenward and save our souls, let us conclude, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” But let us keep them in an evangelical sense—that is, let us look to Jesus Christ, who kept them for us, and through whom our imperfect obedience is accepted by God.

5. God and Christ loved us with an everlasting love. So must we love Him who first loved us. This is the nature of spiritual love: it returns to its own source. “O love the Lord, all ye His saints!” Who has more cause to love Him than you? Who has been loved so much, or come so fully under the power of love, as you have? Has not Christ loved you, not only with a love of well-wishing from everlasting (what some call the love of election, the fountain-love, the wellspring of salvation) but also with a love of delight and complacency?

Has not Christ shed abroad His love into your hearts? And shall He lose by it? Will not these cords of love draw your hearts to love Him again? Surely it is but reasonable to love Him who first loved you, and loved you when you were unlovely, having nothing in you worthy of love. Christians, remember that Christ loved you when you were in rags; is it not fitting, then, that you should love Him now in robes?

6. God and Christ appointed and purposed us unto salvation. His love was sure, settled, firm, and constant: “The purpose of God according to election must stand.” So must we love Him and cleave to Him forever: “I have inclined my heart to perform Thy statutes always, even to the end.” David, whose heart was deeply captivated by the statutes of God, gave this expression of the fullness of his devotion: “Always, even to the end.” It is a kind of pleonasm, showing the intensity of his resolve never to depart from his God.

7. God and Christ decreed, recorded, and sealed our salvation. So must we put our seal to the truth that God is faithful. How? By believing in Christ. For when we believe, we affirm Christ’s word as true: “He that believes not makes God a liar”—as you have heard—because unbelief seeks to frustrate Christ’s undertakings in predestination.

8. God and Christ entered into a covenant concerning our salvation. So must we enter into covenant with Him, taking Him as our God and giving ourselves to be His people. Thus, in all particulars, we must conform to Christ.

The sum of all is this: we must be like Christ in grace and gracious actions.

Conforming to Christ in Grace

O my soul, see to this grace—see to this conformity to Jesus Christ in gracious actions. By so doing, thou shalt be able to read thy name written in the Book of Life. O abhor and repel that devilish dart that whispers, “I am predestined, and therefore I may live as I please.” How contrary is this to the Apostle’s declaration: “He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.”

As the elect of God, put on “bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forgiving one another, even as Christ forgave you.” This conformity to Christ in grace is the very fruit of our predestination. O look unto Jesus and strive to be in grace like unto Jesus.

Why? Because Christ is full of grace—a vessel filled to the brim. “Thou art fairer than the children of men; grace is poured into Thy lips.” Christ is, as it were, grace personified: “All bore witness to Him and marvelled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.” Christ is grace sighing, weeping, dying, “that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” He is grace living again and now pouring out floods of grace upon His living members: “And He gave gifts unto men.”

Christ is the great Apple Tree, dropping apples of life. “As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons.” All that falls from this tree—apples, leaves, shadows, blossoms—are but pieces of grace descending from Him who is the fullness of all, filling all things. Christ is the Rose of Sharon, and every petal of this rose is Heaven itself. Every shade of white and red is grace and glory. Every act of its fragrant breath, from everlasting to everlasting, is spotless, unmixed grace.

Why then, O my soul, if thou wilt conform to Christ, conform in this: “Be holy, as He is holy.” Of the fullness of grace in Him, receive grace for grace.

Christians, Where Are We?

O that men could hear of so much grace—of such acts of grace performed in that eternity before all worlds—and yet feel no impression of grace upon their hearts! O that God and Christ should both be occupied in that business of eternity, that heaven, hell, justice, mercy, souls, and deep wisdom should all converge in that rare design, and yet men should think more of a farm, an ox, a house, a pin, or a straw than of their salvation!

O look up, look up! If thou art Christ’s, consider what He has done for thy soul. Why, thou art predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ.

Looking Forward

Thus far, we have looked unto Jesus as our Saviour, working in that eternity before time until creation. Our next task is to behold Jesus as He carries forward the great work of man’s salvation in creation, at the beginning of time, until His first coming.

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Looking Unto Jesus: The Alpha and the Omega, by Isaac Ambrose, Copyright © 2024

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Table of Contents

Chap. 1.

Sect. 1. Of the Eternal Generation of our Jesus

Sect. 2. Of our Election in Christ before all Worlds

Sect. 3. Of that great Treaty, in Eternity, betwixt God and Christ, to save Souls

Sect. 4. The Project

Sect. 5. The Counsel

Sect. 6. The Foreknowledge

Sect. 7. The Purpose

Sect. 8. The Decree

Sect. 9. The Covenant

Chap. 2.

Sect. 1. Of knowing Jesus, as carrying on the Great Work of our Salvation in that Eternity

Sect. 2. Of Considering Jesus in that Respect

Sect. 3. Of Desiring after Jesus in that respect

Sect. 4. Of Hoping in Jesus in that respect

Sect. 5. Of Believing in Jesus in that respect

Sect. 6. Of Loving Jesus in that respect

Sect. 7. Of Joying in Jesus in that respect

Sect. 8. Of Calling on Jesus in that respect

Sect. 9. Of Conforming to Jesus in that respect